Casco Viejo

Las Siete Calles or El Casco Viejo in Spanish or, "Zazpikaleak" or "Alde Zarra" in Basque are different names for the medieval neighbourhood of Bilbao, part of the Ibaiondo district. The names mean "Seven Streets" or "Old Town" respectively and it used to be the walled part of the town until the end of the 19th century.

The Seven Streets

The name "Zazpikaleak" or "Las Siete Calles" (The Seven Streets) come from the oldest part of the neighbourhood which included exactly 7 streets and some much more narrow alleys connecting them, called "cantons" ("kantoi", "cantón"). The historical seven streets of Bilbao are:
*"Somera", "upper"
*"Artekale", "middle street"
*"Tendería", "shopkeeper's"
*"Belostikale"
*"Carnicería Vieja", "old butchery"
*"Barrenkale", "lower street"
*"Barrenkale Barrena", "lower lower street"

The "8th" street is "Ronda", which used to be the patrol street outside the walls. Later the town expanded northwards with the construction of the "Plaza Berria" or "Plaza Nueva" (new square) and the streets "Santa María" ("Saint Mary"), "Bidebarrieta" ("new ways"), "Correo" ("mail") and "Askao". Nowadays the neighbourhood also includes the Ribera ("riverboard") street, the Arenal ("sandy place") Park and Esperanza ("hope") street as well.

Tourism

The area is probably the most colorful part of Bilbao, including many shops and taverns, several historical churches (San Antón, Santos Juanes, the Cathedral, San Nicolás), the largest food retail market of EuropeDubious|date=March 2008 (Mercado de la Ribera), the public Arriaga Theatre, the seat of the Academy of the Basque Language (Euskaltzaindia), a ball court, and a public library. It is connected to the rest of the city and conurbation by the subway, tramway and buses. Three public elevators also connect Casco Viejo to the neighbourhoods of Begoña and Solokoetxe, which otherwise demand a rather intense uphill walk.

There is a tradition of middle-age men doing a tavern crawl drinking short glasses ("chiquitos") of wine and singing choral songs.