Camping in Córdoba: monumental heritage, holm oak sierra and olive oil routes
Córdoba is the most inland of the Andalusian provinces, with no coastline but a cultural and natural wealth that justifies a trip all by itself. The city of Córdoba is the inevitable point of reference: the Mosque-Cathedral, a World Heritage Site along with the historic centre and the Jewish Quarter, is one of the most fascinating monuments in Europe. The Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, the Calleja de las Flores, the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Córdoba patios, which burst into bloom with carnations and geraniums every May during the Patios Festival, make the city a must-see, and one that is especially enjoyable when you stay nearby, at a campsite a few kilometres from the centre.
North of the capital, Sierra Morena stretches out as a Mediterranean forest of holm oaks, cork oaks, strawberry trees and rockroses where the population density is very low. The Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park protects one of the last refuges of the Iberian lynx on the Peninsula and is also home to imperial eagles, vultures, deer and wild boar. The Sierra de Cardeña-Montoro Natural Park, further east, has marked trails among dehesas and clear streams that cross the sierra towards the province of Jaén. This little-disturbed natural setting is ideal for gentle hiking, cycle touring and campers who are after silence and contact with Iberian wildlife.
The Subbética of Córdoba, in the south of the province, offers a completely different profile from Sierra Morena. Priego de Córdoba, considered the jewel of Andalusian Baroque, surprises with its monumental fountains, its castle, its Adarve quarter perched above a cliff and its church of the Asunción, with a sacristy of unique Baroque ornamentation. Zuheros has Palaeolithic cave paintings in its Cueva de los Murciélagos. The town of Cabra, in the heart of the Subbética, has the Fuente del Río, a natural spot of great beauty where a spring wells up among elms and willows. The Vía Verde del Aceite, which follows the route of a former railway line, lets you explore the region by bike or on foot among olive groves and restored flour mills.
Córdoba's cuisine reflects the history of the province. Salmorejo, a thick cream of tomato and bread topped with pieces of ham and hard-boiled egg, is the most iconic dish. Flamenquín, a roll of serrano ham in breadcrumbs, fried, is another local speciality. Stewed oxtail, a legacy of the bullfights in the Corredera, and aubergines with cane honey from Almodóvar del Río complete a menu of traditional inland cooking. The wines of the Montilla-Moriles region, made with Pedro Ximénez grapes, accompany meals with a range running from dry fino to sweet raisin wine. Camping in the province of Córdoba, whether with a caravan or a tent, lets you combine within a few kilometres a visit to a monumental city with sierra trails and a deeply rooted cuisine.
