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Montilla

The city of Montilla is located in the south of the province of Cordoba, in the heart of la Campiña, just 45 kilometres from the provincial capital. This village is famous throughout the world for its wines and its hillsides are covered with vineyards.

It is possible to compare Montilla with a boat with an inverted keel beached in the green sea of its vineyards. This appears so if you go to the north where the view opens out towards the country house stretching to the hill. The keel is the old castle which has become a granary at whose feet the neighbouring tower of the larger parish of Santiago rises, the roundest intuitively in a horizontal line such as San Agustín o el Santo.

Montilla was founded by the Romans, but did not acquire any real importance until the Muslim age. After the Christian reconquest in 1492 Montilla passed into the hands of the landowners of Aguilar who made it into the centre of their lands. From then on it was transformed into one of the most important military barracks of the area. Later still in the 18th century Montilla was again transformed into an important religious centre with the construction of palaces, convents and churches.

Today the city is largely known for its wines, white and dry, fermented using a technique similar to that of Jerez (Sherry). The sweet grapes of Pedro Jimenez are the base of this wine which, due to its high sugar content, does not need any additions to be fortified. The wine is known as Montilla in Spain and Amontillado outside of Spain.

There are many wine cellars in the city. The wines of Montilla are fermented in stainless steel deposits to be transferred to clay jars and then traditional wooden barrels. The wine cellars of Bodegas Alvear (957 650 100) and Bodegas Pérez Barquero (957 650 500) can be visited with prior notice.

Famous for its wines with guarantee of origin Montilla-Moriles, it was also the birthplace of don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, el Gran Capitán, born in 1453. Throughout the 16th century San Juan de Ávila, el Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Miguel de Cervantes all lived here.

At the highest point in Montilla is the castle in whose interior the Palace is found, where el Gran Capitán was born and where the Catholic Monarchs lived.

The religious monumental legacy is very rich and it glories in the noble footprints of its historical past as Montilla was the seat of the Lords of Aguilar and the Marquesses of Priego, who patronised many constructions. The ones which stand out are the Curch of Santiago, the Convent of Santa Clara, the Oratory of San Juan de Ávila, the Church of San Sebastián, the Church of Encarnación, the Church of Santa Ana, the Church of San Agustín, the Church of San Francisco Solano and the famous wine cellars of Montilla.

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HOTELS AND HOSTELS in Montilla, Province of Córdoba

The civic architecture also has numerous examples which stand out due to their importance from the ducal palace of the Medinaceli, at the back of the old village, to the ducal granaries of the 18th century built in the noble house of the old castle, and obviously the distinctive stately homes, of distince chronology, which can be found lower down from the highest part of the old centre.

The Casa del Inca from the 17th century also deserves a special mention. It was here that Garcilaso de la Vega lived and is an obligatory visit for tourists, the facade of the Town Hall, the Garnelo Theatre building and La Tercia building.

Montilla is a considerable centre of artesanry with some professions which developed along with the notable winemaking of the district, such as cooperage with the manufacture of barrels, from oak and chestnut and iron hoops, to which we must add the manufacture of other objects related to wine making such as jugs, wine racks and gup holders. Also found in Montilla is the wood turner used in wine cellars, the jewellers and the office of the garnison with carefully made works of tanned leather related to horse riding and hunting.

Regarding the festivals, there are many religious ceremonies during Easter Week which takes place between March and April. In the middle of July is the festival of the patron Saint, San Francisco Solano. This festival coincides with the the Saint’s Day , the 14th of July. Festival activities are combined with other events of a religious character devoted to the patron saint. The ones which stand out are the Festival which takes place over five days on the Avenida de las Camachas and in the Parque Tierno Galván; the inauguration of the extraordinary illuminations on the eve of the festival, passacaglias and spectacular pyrotechnics, giants and figures with massive heads, and lighting up the façade of the festival; the Demonstration of Folklore "Ciudad de Montilla"... the list is long.

During the first few days of May the Fiesta de la Cruz takes place, with activities around the Cruz de Mayo, between which the procession and the cross competition stand out.

And at the start of September there is the Fiesta de la Vendimia, where the first broth is blessed.