Priego de Córdoba

San Peter´s Church (Photo by Todohuelva.com)

Cartaya is a village located 35 kilometres from the provincial capital whose principal tourist importance centres around the famous area of El Rompido, a centre of beach tourism which has fantastic white fine sand as well as a variety of recreation and catering facilities.

Its rich scenery is not just centred around its beaches and the ria of El Rompido. The dominant scenery is that of a pine forest sprinkled with fields of strawberries, orange groves and other fruits.

Of all the natural and cultural resources which Cartaya has, the sea is, without any shadow of a doubt, the most important. From El Rompido to Nuevo Portil, the municipal district opens to the ria del Piedras, a quiet location and ideal for navigation. There are 4 kilometres of beaches of fine white sand, laying next to a pine forest, in which you can find a wide variety of services. Some of these are boat trips and excursions, a golf course which is perfectly integrated into its scenic surroundings, respecting the pine forest, and a campsite which the beach of San Miguel protrudes from.

All of this coastline, from El Rompido to Nuevo Portil, opens up to the Atlantic Ocean via the Flecha de El Rompido. From these beaches and crossing the ria Piedras, there are boat services on various points of the riverbank which lead to la Flecha de El Rompido, which forms part of the Natural Area, with absolutely untouched beaches and white sands.

The beaches of Nuevo Portil and San Miguel flow into the sea from one of the most beautiful viewpoints of the Huelva coastline. Encircled by pine trees and common Junipers, these beaches have an urban plan clearly dedicated to tourism. In fact, this location has one of the lowest urban densities of the Spanish coastline. Activity and nature are its values.

Nuevo Portil descends to the beach of the same name where you can find the nautical base of the same name and can travel by boat to the untouched beach of la Flecha de El Rompido, which is a stones throw away. In this residential and tourist area the first hotel has been built, Nuevo Portil Golf, with 138 places and 4 stars.

Source: playasdehuelva.org

Priego De Cordoba

Introduction

In the southeast of the province of Cordoba, 105 kilometres from the capital, at the feet of the fertile plains and sheltered by the circus of mountains of the Parque Natural de las Sierras Subbéticas, is the town of Priego de Córdoba.

One obligatory stop is the Ruta del Califato, the European Cultural Itinerary which covers Andalucian territory between Cordoba a Granada.

Amongst its monumental legacy the visitor can enjoy various civic and religious structures built in Baroque style throughout the many centuries of the city’s splendour.

El olivar es el cultivo preponderante, que con los cereales y la ganadería constituyen la base de la economía de esta localidad

The gastronomy of Priego, enhanced by olive oil with its own Guarantee of Origin , completes any urban tour. The predominant aspects of local cultivation are olive groves which, along with cereals livestock constitute the basis of the local economy. The products of its countryside are noticeable in local cuisine, which is authentic and full of aromas and flavours.

Although Priego is called the "Capital of Baroque Cordoba", nobody can doubt its Muslim origins, it being them who gave it the name of "Medina Bagu" and who gave it its most splendid elements, clearly visible in its Castle, its area of Villa and the Adarve.

Priego is a continuous flow of fountains and springs. This architectural package is a signal of the diverse houses and stately homes which encircle the central streets such as the calle Río and the Carrera de Alvarez.

The churches which can be found here are important examples of the Baroque style in the town such as those of la Asunción, la Aurora and la Iglesia de San Francisco (which has iinside the venerable image of Jesus of Nazareth). Examples from the last part of the Baroque age are the churches of las Mercedes and las Angustias (1772), of a rococo style.

Amongst the civic architecture the Baroque Fuente del Rey (19th century) stands out, consisting of three ponds with the image of Neptune and surrounded by more than 139 water pipes. Next to it and also striking is the Fuente de la Salud (16th century), with a large mannerist façade. The two have been declared National Monuments.

Map of Priego de Córdoba

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Priego has various museums suchas the Archaeological Museum, local exhibitions such as the Carnicerías Reales, as well as the Birthplace of Niceto Alcalá Zamora Museum, the seat of its Board of Trustees and also the Tourist Office.

It is also noteworthy for its abundance of ancestral homes which give the town and its more than twenty villages its personality. It is precisely in one of these, Zagrilla, that the Villa Turística de la Subbética can be found (From 32 euros per person per night.), or that of Castil de Campo.

The district is part of the area of production of two products which stand out due to their quality: wine and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
They are marketed with quality labels of :
1º.- Guarantee of Origin "Montilla-Moriles"
2º.- Guarantee of Origin "Priego de Córdoba".

As regards festivals, the stand-out ones are Easter and May Festivals, both declared National Tourist Interest of Andalucía occasions. The culminating moment takes place on the morning of Good Friday with the procession of Jesus of Nazareth carried by an enormous amount of people who struggle to be in reach of the float. Once there, thousands of people receive the blessing of Nazareth raising the symbolic eggs above their heads.

Every weekend in May is a festival in Priego: its origins are in the 17th century. There are religious ceremonies with important hymns, choirs and chamber orchestras, eye-catching processions and lively raffles every weekend. The Day of Cruz and the Corpus Christi are of great beauty in the neighbourhood of Villa. Between the 1st and the 5th of September the town celebrates its Royal Festival, after the prestigious International Festivals of Music, Dance and Theatre. In the mornings on Saturday it is usual to sing the chants of the Brothers of la Aurora whilst walking through the streets of Priego, something which has been done now for over 400 years.

Sources: Priego Council and Cerespain