Lugo, Municipality in northwestern Galicia, Spain
Lugo is a town in northwestern Galicia, Spain, located on the Miño River and enclosed by Roman walls that circle the entire historic core. Within the walls, narrow streets extend with cobbled squares, churches from several eras, and residential houses that cluster around the cathedral and the old town hall.
The Romans founded the settlement in the first century BC as a military camp and expanded the fortification during the third century AD to protect the region from Germanic invasions. In the Middle Ages the town grew within the old walls, and new neighborhoods emerged only in the 19th century outside the Roman ring.
Visitors explore the name, the word Lucus meaning sacred grove, while the second part Augusti refers to Emperor Augustus. Locals gather in Praza Maior for shopping, and the narrow streets within the old centre show traditional galleries with glassed balconies that reflect Atlantic influence.
The wall top offers a walking circuit that takes just under an hour to complete and gives views over the surrounding houses and the riverbank. Several staircases lead up to the rampart promenade from different points in the old town, so visitors can go up or down at any time.
On the towers of the walls, small niches remain where guards in Roman times placed lanterns or signal fires to communicate at night. The rampart promenade today serves as a public space where locals jog, walk, and meet, turning the defensive walkway into an everyday gathering spot.
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