Priego de Córdoba: a must-see destination in the heart of Andalusia

 “Hard to believe, so many real flowers”: there is little we can add to the words the poet Gloria Fuertes spoke on visiting the Barrio de La Villa. In the heart of the historic centre of Priego de Córdoba, strolling through the narrow streets and admiring the flower-decked façades is pure poetry, every bit a match for neighbourhoods such as Santa Cruz in Seville or the Judería (Jewish Quarter) in Córdoba.

From the colours and scents of this picturesque historic quarter, we move on to another of the places that gives the town so much “life”: the Fuente del Rey and the Fuente de la Salud, where the spring that supplies the town with water rises. Their Baroque and Neoclassical style is reminiscent of the Trevi Fountain. Stop to admire the 139 spouts, many of them with stone masks of ghostly faces.

You cannot leave Priego de Córdoba without visiting one of the masterpieces of Spanish Baroque: the Sagrario of the Iglesia de la Asunción, the Carnicerías Reales and the views from the top of the Castillo.

Once you have seen the main monuments, it is time to enjoy the wide range of local cuisine, infused with the flavour of the extra virgin olive oil of the Priego de Córdoba PDO, the most award-winning Protected Designation of Origin in the world.