This is my 100th episode and I wanted to make it a very special episode, so I am delighted to have Christina Ybarra of Palacio Portocarrero in Palma del Rio, Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain.

Christina's story is a story of Andalusia taking in Roman, Moorish and Christian heritage, history, archaeology, architecture, culture and art.

Palma del Rio is a town with the most stunning countryside surrounded by orange groves between Seville and Cordoba once called “the garden of Andalucia” by a visiting Spanish King.

The Cordoba Region

Most tourists go to the cities like Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga but there are small villages and towns between these cities are real gems full of character including Carmona and Ecija, Alcalá de Guadaíra, Cazalla de la Sierra, Almodovar del Rio, Palma Del Rio and Montilla.

The region is made for a road trip through fields filled with olive and orange grove and vineyards and many beautiful villages with old Moorish Alcazar forts and palaces in the Sierra Morena mountains.

@prodeturprovinciasevilla

Activities

Palacio Portcarrero

Almodovar Del Rio – Old Moorish Castle to visit from Games of Thrones

Montilla – Visit to local winery Alvear 1729

Wine tasting at Bodegas Colonias de Galeón

Stargazing activity (Sierra Morena is a certified Starlight Destination)

El Viso del Alcor - Olive oil tasting at Basilippo

Cycling along the Sierra Morena Greenway, which is part of the upgraded Camino Vertical

Cordoba

Once one of main cities in the ancient Arab world with one of the most famous mosques to rival Mecca – The Mesquita

Food Cordoba

Dinner at Taberna La Viuda

Lunch at La Cazuela de la Esparteria

Stays

Cordoba - Hotel Mezquita Center

Cazalla de la Sierra - Casa Rural Las Navezuelas

Alcalá de Guadaíra - Hotel Oromana

Check out my Cordoba Special Pt 2 with guide Paco Gonzalez as he guides us through Cordoba and the beautiful countryside, villages, forts, palaces, olive farms and vineyards from Seville to Cordoba.

How to get there

Fly with Aer Lingus from Cork and Dublin to Seville 

If you haven’t already, I'd ask you to give me a follow on whichever platform you listen to your podcasts and you will be the first to get a new episode. Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is now listened to in 130 countries worldwide. The podcast aims to share soul-lifting travel memoirs about daydream worthy destinations.

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