Vitoria-Gasteiz is the chief town of the Basque province of Álava in Northern Spain. It lies to the south of the Cantabrian Mountains in a plain below the north side of the Montes de Vitoria. In recent decades a busy industrial area (mainly engineering and foodstuffs) has grown up around the town, but agriculture is still an important source of income.
The Basque capital has a medieval quarter with beautiful gardens and tree-lined boulevards with medieval street, Renaissance palaces and Neoclassical churches. The centre of the city is Plaza de la Virgen Blanca with the Battle of Vitoria monument and the church of San Miguel, which houses the image of the White Virgin (the city's patron saint). The present building dates between the 14th and 16th with a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance elements. The church has a rectangular floor-plan with three naves crowned with flamboyant Gothic ribs and a high reredos which was made by Gregorio Fernández.
The cathedral of Santa María, also known as the Old Cathedral, was erected at the highest part of the city and is surrounding area is where you will find the most ancient streets of the city as revealed by their guild names: "Cuchillería" (Cutlers), "Herrería" (Blacksmiths) and "Correría" (Couriers). If you take a stroll around this area you will see the most significant Renaissance palaces in the capital and on Herrería street you will find the Escoriaza-Esquibel palace, with its gorgeous courtyard.
The natural heritage of this area is tremendously diverse with a huge amount of protected space. One which it is worth mentioning is the Valderejo Nature Reserve to the west of the province, the Izki Nature Reserve (which preserves one of the most extensive melojo-oak forests) and the Área de Gorbeia Nature Reserve.
