What are you looking for?

Baroque palace. The main portal has two coats of arms. This building has had many names over the years, but it is most commonly known as the Casa de la Mayordomía Ducal, having been the home of the administrator of the Duke of Medinaceli in the town, Puente de Don Gonzalo. During recent decades it has been known by the Vergara family name, as that family now own it. The Palace-house was built in the last third of the 18th century, although works were still being carried out on it at the start of the 19th century. It has a wide stone portal -the best in the town. The building has three floors; the central balcony is impressive, as are the large enclosed outward-jutting balconies found at either side. Two identical coats of arms decorate the façade; decorative elements are elaborated in stone, coming from the nearby quarries of Sierra Gorda. They are possibly the work of local stone masons the Gallardo brothers, who were active during this time and were documented as being involved in the construction of the La Concepción Sanctuary. The house maintains a beautiful patio with columns, staircase and several lounge areas boasting furniture of that era. It has […]

Huerto de las Infantas, also known as Recreo de Castilla, is a garden perched on the edge of the Adarve wall, just below Priego’s castle. References to its existence have been found since mid-16th century. It was reopened as a public park in June 2013 after a being renovated, the results of which created an area of spectacular beauty in the town’s historic centre. The first written reference of this park dates back to 1550, appearing in a sales contract, with the name “Huerta de las Infantas”, found under the wall-walk’s old door to this villa. Until 1857, this land was acquired by Antonio Castilla, who built a house on it. In the following decades, this gentleman and his inheritors (the Castilla Abril and Castilla Bermúdez Cañete families) transformed the land into a romantic garden based on greenery and water features. The numerous family would frequent the garden to relax or hold private fiestas. The pond was a special feature with water from the Fuente de Rey, which in years gone by was powered by 5 mills in the area. In 1948, some local folk organised concerts similar to those at Granada’s Music Festival held in the gardens of the Alhambra. Seeking a […]

The parish church is an artistic and historic monument, which lies in close proximity to Utrera’s castle and fortress. It is an edifice of staggering proportions and displays proof of the change in architectural styles over time. The current church is Gothic, pertaining to the late 18th century. Its model is very similar to the first churches built following the Conquest. It is clearly defensive in character, as observed through the arrow slits featured on the tower-façade and the thickness of its walls. It is a hall church, known artistically by the German name “Hallenkirche”. It has a uniform, rectangular floor plan, separated into three naves by vaulting shafts and covered with an extremely beautiful sexpartite vault or tiercerons of uniform elevations. The ribs of the vault rise from pillars in the centre and corbels at sides of the church. The naves were later completed with a Renaissance dome and Baroque and neoclassical chapels. The main façade, depressed and sheltered within a basket-handle arch, is on the west end of the church, from which the three-sectioned stone and brick tower sprouts.

Palma Historic House Museum is situated on the site of a former Dominican convent. The palace entrance opens onto the mounting block, where the stables are to the left and the two-storey central courtyard to the right, formed of semi-circular arches and marble columns. This courtyard leads to the orange-tree courtyard, with a stone fountain and the old convent font, which according to ancient legend, connects to a passage that leads to the river Genil. The palace’s décor and furniture originate from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with sixteenth-century artesonado ceilings and Mudejar flooring in the halls and bedrooms.

The Association of Easter Week brotherhoods from Baena has created a permanent exhibition on the local Easter Week traditions, declared as being of national touristic interest. The exhibition can be found in the Casa de la Condesa, the association’s headquarters, in calle Mesones.The town’s Easter Week groups display different items related to their Easter Week celebrations in this beautiful manor house, in the heart of the historic town centre. This display is a good example for visitors to the town as it explains the unique role of the Judío de Baena (Jew of Baena). This figure’s attire attracts special attention and consists of a red embroidered jacket, black trousers, white shirt, a neckerchief and a metal helmet with impressive imprinted patterns and a brightly coloured plumage coming from the top.Horse hair is also attached to the back of the helmet, which is black (Judío Colinegro) or white (Judío Coliblanco) depending on the brotherhood.

The Oleico Pallarés Oil Mill is a family company which produces Extra Virgin Olive Oil under the brand ‘Herriza de la Lobilla’. They offer ‘oleoturismo’ (olive oil tourism) experiences such as tours of the estate nestled in an idyllic spot, and subsequently the oil mill, perfectly suited to an audience with a high cultural and culinary interest. A unique experience in Seville’s Sierra Sur mountain range, in the heart of the Osuna countryside. You will have the chance to discover the secrets of signature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, where the quality is the essential goal and “contact” with the product is much more real.  Tours can be taken in Spanish and English. If you require a tour in another language, this can be offered provided you tell them in advance. They offer tours for groups (minimum of 4 people). Tours last for between 90 and 120 minutes, from Monday to Sunday. Book in advance via email or by telephone.  Watch video The visit consists of the following:  Estate tour Olive mill tour Internationally awarded and recognised Gourmet Olive Oil Tasting + gift   * Tour of Gastronomic and Rural Experiences. 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, October 2022.  VISIT TO […]

The main historical inhabited enclave in Baena’s rural setting is the town known as Torreparedones. It was first Iberian and Roman, it then became a military enclave during the Medieval period and was rediscovered in recent excavations. It was inhabited for at least 3500 years, from the Copper Age until the Low Middles Ages. Torreparedones reached its height during Iberian and Roman times. It’s powerful wall, reinforced with towers, surrounding a 10.5-Ha space was already present from the 6th century BC. The site was known since the Early Modern Period given the remarkable remains that appeared. Many scholars mentioned it as an important site “during Roman times” or in reference to the controversial martyrs, Saints Nunil and Alodia. The chance finding of “Pompey’s Mausoleum” in 1833 was a milestone in the site’s history, as it gained the attention of many Spanish and foreign researchers. It was a monumental tomb that contained incinerated remains of more than 12 family members, with their names engraved on stone urns. Torreparedones reached its height during the Iberian and Roman era when it achieved colony or town status. The most outstanding findings correspond to this era. One of the most important settlements to date is […]

One of the best views of the town can be enjoyed from this spot, located to the north east of the town. Next to the viewpoint is the San Marcos chapel, which gives the hillside its name. It was built in the 16th century, is small in size and of sober design with a straight-lined Renaissance façade. Inside we can observe the icon of Our Lady de la Cabeza.   

San Juan Bautista parish church dates back to the sharing out of the lands that were conquered by King Ferdinand III, nicknamed “the Saint”. It is a Gothic-Mudejar church, with three naves covered by wooden framework and a polygonal masonry apse. Successive reforms took place throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which significantly changed the building’s interior. The tower was built in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. In 1776, the building faced imminent ruin and was demolished in its entirety to create a new floor plan. To this end, the current San Juan Bautista church is what would have been the Sacramental Chapel, which was adjoined to the Epistle nave prior to the renovations. The main altarpiece houses an eighteenth-century Baroque retablo, featuring a seventeenth-century sculpture of the Nazarene. Paintings by Antonio de Pereda (seventeenth century) and Juan de Espinal (eighteenth century) are also noteworthy. The tower comprises three bell sections, built with considerable height. The Baroque elements in the upper sections make the tower the most emblematic and beautiful of those erected during the eighteenth century.

The thousand-year-old holm oak is situated in the village of Llanos de Don Juan in the municipality of Rute and has been declared a Natural Monument by the Department of the Environment. It is a unique tree in the province of Cordoba, belonging to the quercus ilex (holm oak) species, with an estimated age of around four hundred and fifty years. This centenary tree is located near to Lucena and the route is accessed via the camino de los Poleares to the windmill of the same name and then continuing by forking to the left until we reach the holm oak. In 1483, the Battle of Martín González took place very near to this holm oak. The Christian troops captured the last King of Granada, Boabdil “The Boy”. Photography: Antonio J. López Rodríguez Trail map