Fodor's Expert Review Praza de María Pita

The focal point of the old town, this bustling large plaza has a north side that's given over to the neoclassical Palacio Municipal, or city hall, built 1908–12 with three Italianate domes. The monument in the center, built in 1998, depicts the heroine Maior (María) Pita. When England's Sir Francis Drake arrived to sack A Coruña in 1589, the locals were only half-finished building the defensive Castillo de San Antón. A 13-day battle ensued. When María Pita's husband died, she took up his lance, slew the Briton who tried to plant the Union Jack, and revived the exhausted Coruñeses, inspiring other women to join the battle. The surrounding streets of the old town are a hive of activity, lined with tapas bars and shops.