Plaza Nueva (Bilbao)

Plaza Nueva is a neoclassical arcaded square in the old town of Bilbao, completed in the 19th century as an enclosed civic space ringed by uniform columned porticoes. Beneath the arches sit pintxo bars, and on Sunday mornings the square fills with a lively market for stamps, coins, birds and secondhand goods. It hosts festival events during the city's Aste Nagusia celebrations. The Basque language academy occupies one of the buildings, and the narrow streets of the Casco Viejo radiate from its corners.