Escultura El Viaje de los Paraguas (The Umbrella Walk)
Wander along Calle de la Rúa in the old town and you will stumble upon a procession of life-size bronze figures marching under open umbrellas — a witty nod to Oviedo's famously rainy climate. Locals call it El Viaje de los Paraguas and it is one of the most charming and least-Instagrammed sculptures in any Spanish city.
A City That Loves Its Street Sculptures
Oviedo has invested seriously in public art for decades: the city centre contains over a hundred sculptures by artists including Eduardo Úrculo, whose stylised bronze travellers with oversized luggage appear on Calle Uría, and a celebrated Woody Allen statue on Calle Milicias Nacionales — the director received the Prince of Asturias Award here in 2002 and became genuinely fond of the city.
The umbrella walkers are the work of local sculptor Ramón Rodríguez and were installed in the 1990s. Unlike the city's more famous bronzes, they attract almost no tourist crowds, making them a perfect quiet stop on a self-guided sculpture walk of the old town.
Combining It with the Old Town Sculpture Route
Pick up the free Ruta de las Esculturas map from the tourist office on Plaza de la Constitución and you can link El Viaje de los Paraguas with the Maternidad sculpture in Parque de San Francisco, the reclining figure outside the Campoamor Theatre and the Úrculo traveller bronzes — all within a 30-minute circular walk.
Parque de San Francisco itself is worth a slow loop: its formal gardens, century-old trees and resident peacocks make it the city's favourite lunchtime escape, and the park café serves decent coffee and sandwiches at outdoor tables year-round.
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