Andalusia

Gypsies, flamenco, horses, bulls—Andalusia is the Spain of story and song, the one Washington Irving romanticized in the 18th century. Andalusia is, moreover, at once the least and most surprising part of Spain: least surprising because it lives up to the hype and stereotype that long confused all of Spain with the Andalusian version, and most surprising because it is, at the same time, so much more.

To begin with, five of the eight Andalusian provinces are maritime, with colorful fishing fleets and a wealth of seafood usually associated with the north. Secondly, there are snowcapped mountains and ski resorts in Andalusia, the kind of high sierra resources long thought most readily available in the Alps, or even the Pyrenees, yet the Sierra Nevada is within sight of North Africa. Thirdly, there are wildlife-filled wetlands and highland pine and oak forests rich with game and trout streams, not to mention free-range Iberian pigs. And lastly, there are cities such as Seville that somehow manage to combine all of this natural plenty with the creativity and cosmopolitanism of London or Barcelona.

Andalusia—for 781 years (711-1492) a Moorish empire and named for Al-Andalus (Arabic for "Land of the West")—is where the authentic history and character of the Iberian Peninsula and Spanish culture are most palpably, visibly, audibly, and aromatically apparent.

Though church- and Franco regime-influenced historians endeavor to sell a sanitized, Christians-versus-infidels portrayal of Spanish history, what most distinctively imprinted and defined Spanish culture—and most singularly marked the art, architecture, language, thought, and even the cooking and dining customs of most of the Iberian Peninsula—was the almost eight-century reign of the Arabic-speaking peoples who have become known collectively as the Moors.

All the romantic images of Andalusia, and Spain in general, spring vividly to life in Seville. Spain's fourth-largest city is a cliché of matadors, flamenco, tapas bars, gypsies, geraniums, and strolling guitarists. So tantalizing is this city that many travelers spend their entire Andalusian time here. It's a good start, for an exploration of Andalusia must begin with the cities of Seville, Córdoba, and Granada as the fundamental triangle of interest and identity. But there's so much more than these urban treasures. A more thorough Andalusian experience includes such unforgettable natural settings as Huelva's Sierra de Aracena and Doñana wetlands, Jaén's Parque Natural de Cazorla, Cádiz's pueblos blancos (white villages), and Granada's Alpujarras. The smaller cities of Cádiz—the Western world's oldest metropolis, founded by Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago—and Jerez, with its sherry cellars and purebred horses, have much to recommend themselves as well. And in between the urban and rural attractions is another entire chapter of Andalusian life: the noble towns of the countryside, ranging from Carmona—Alfonso X's "Lucero de España" (Morning Star of Spain)—to Jaén's Renaissance gems of Úbeda and Baeza, Córdoba's Priego de Córdoba, Málaga's Ronda, and Cádiz's Arcos de la Frontera.

Less »