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Europe’s oldest people are in many ways Spain’s most modern, always a step ahead of the rest in social attitudes, gastronomy and urban planning. The land of the Basques is a vital, optimistic place with an intoxicating spirit.

Without getting drawn into the independence debate, Euskadi (the Basque name for this region) doesn’t feel very Spanish. Even the most imperialistic of the Madrid establishment refer to it as ‘El País Vasco’, the Basque Country. Things are certainly different here; there’s a strange language on road signs that would break Scrabble scoring records, weird sports are played to packed houses, it rains an awful lot and a subtle vibrancy infects even the most mundane of daily tasks.

The region’s biggest city, Bilbao, has managed superbly to reinvent itself from declining industrial dinosaur to cultured European metropolis. The Guggenheim museum is a powerful symbol of this, but it’s the vision that put it there that is even more invigorating. San Sebastián, meanwhile, is perennially popular for its superb natural setting and wonderful gourmet scene, and Vitoria, the peaceful Basque capital, is also very appealing.

Euskadi isn’t very large, which means that most rural areas are within easy reach of the three cities. The rugged coast has a few excellent beaches and some very personable fishing ports. Inland, medieval towns still preserve an excellent architectural heritage, while Laguardia, by happy coincidence, is both one of the most attractive walled towns in Northern Spain and an important centre of the Rioja wine region. Outside the towns, the green hills and rocky peaks of this corner of the peninsula are an invitation into the open air.