Ramón Villeró / Viajes Magazine

“A black pony, a big moon, olives in my saddlebag, even do I know the paths, I’ll never get to Córdoba” wrote Federico García Lorca in “Canción del Jinete”, Song of the jockey in English, around the year 1922. Since then, “this distant and lonely city” of which he spoke in his poem has become a place of pilgrimage and remains one of the most beautiful settings in the world.

Cordoba was the capital of the Roman Andalusia and later, under control of the Omeya dynasty, the epicentre of the Islamic world. The history of this city remains written in the Mosque and in the Cathedral – the best is a night-time visit – also in the Castle of the Christian monarchs and in other buildings such as the temple, the Roman bridge and the city walls.

Inside the ancient Cordoba, walking through the streets, where different religions and beliefs coexisted peacefully during many years, is a delightful experience. For a nice meal, we can stop in Casa Pepe de la Juderia or in other restaurants like Casa Rubio or the Taberna nº10, where a perfect gazpacho, tapas and other specialties like anchovies in vinegar, Iberian pork or oxtail will be a successful dish.

Cordoba is a place for walking and enjoying. This feeling comes from its cooking and its wines, and, at the same time, from the sensation of being in a unique place of the world. The interior of the mosque transmits a special energy, only comparable to the experiences that travellers have lived in places that seem touched by a magic wand. The architecture of the mosque made of marble columns, capitals and horseshoe arches form a space that makes it impossible to not fall in love or walk around it during hours. The afternoon is the best time to visit the Alcázar, walking along the Guadalquivir and appreciating the Roman temple or checking out the Botanical Garden.

To finish our journey, very close to the city walls, you can find the Hotel Eurostars Palace and The Corner to sample some of the typical dishes of Cordoba’s gastronomy or just to enjoy some of the creations of The Corner by Javier de las Muelas.