But , Gijón/Xixón had already come into being some time before the Romans at the hands of a tribe of cauldron makers, who likewise lived a dream -that of metal-making- overlooking the sea, sealing Gijón's fate as a city forever linked to metallurgy, coal, industry, science, energy and art.
Gijón was the first "Oscar-winning" Spanish city thanks to José Luis Garci, the film-maker with roots in Asturias, besides boasting the country's first Institute of Navigation and Mineralogy, inspired by its Enlightenment scholar and statesman Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos .
With a fishing port and industrial docks as well as a marina, Gijón/Xixón offers travellers a city with a unique "green" setting, featuring the Atlantic Botanical Gardens and Laboral, City of Culture with its Centre for Art and Industrial Creation.
That's Gijón/Xixón... Roman, metallurgical and oceanic in scope. As well as being a very open, fun and dynamic city with an Atlantic calling.