Courtyards of Córdoba

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The lovely city of Cordaba is our gateway to Southern Spain, which still bears the influences of hundreds of years of Moorish rule in its arches, decorative style and, above all, delightful interior courtyards. Our first encounter with the beauty of Cordoba courtyards (or patios as the Spanish call them) was on arrival at our accomodation. We are staying in a lovely old house built around an airy interior courtyard filled with plants and with arches leading to an additional courtyard with a refreshing plunge pool, much enjoyed as the weather here is much hotter!Almost every building in Córdoba has a shady interior courtyard and it is often possible to get a glimpse of them if the gates are open to the street. It would be magnificent to be here in spring when the city holds a Patios Festival festival and all the courtyards are opened to the public in full flower. But in the heat of summer the shade and fountains are wonderfully refreshing.The doyen of Cördoba courtyards is the Palacio de Viana, which contains 12 individual courtyards, each with its own personality and style of planting. The Courtyard of the Bars, for example, is planted with espaliered orange trees and designed as an impressive frontage to be viewed through bars from the street. The intimate Courtyard of the Madama has a lovely shady arbour with fountain and is approached from the bedroom. The chapel courtyard is a tranquil shady space with archeological remains and LemJardin is a French-style parterre with high hedges and a lily pond. Each is beautiful in its own way and we found it so relaxing to wander through them all, resting under trees, smelling the scented lemon verbena and orange trees and listening to the running water of the many fountains. The palace was built in the 17th century but courtyards have been developed at various times. A new one, very much I traditional style, was added recently to be a site for public performances. It would be a fabulous space for a concert but unfortunately nothing is playingmwhilemwe are here. We spent a long time enjoying the courtyards and trying to decide which were our favourites. We both liked the tranquil,chapel courtyard and the Courtyard of the Orange Trees which has wandering paths among the groves.

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