Michael Coy
THE city of Cordoba is one of Andalucia’s most spectacular treasures. Most visitors are familiar with the Mezquita – the astoundingly beautiful former mosque – or the Patio Competition, held every May, when exquisitely decorated courtyards compete for prizes.
But this time, we’re veering off the well-worn path to explore some of Cordoba’s hidden corners – the backstreets and tucked-away plazas that are too often overlooked.
Let’s be clear from the outset: the places we’re about to highlight are just a handful of the city’s many gems. This article could easily have been five times as long!
We begin at the charming Plaza del Potro, or ‘Square of the Foal’, named for the fountain at its centre featuring a carved horse dating back to 1577 (the horse figure itself was added a few years later).
This atmospheric square has at least four claims to fame. First, it’s home to Cordoba’s Museum of Fine Arts.
Second, it houses the Centro Flamenco Fosforito (more on that shortly). Third, it’s the setting for one of Don Quijote’s most humorous adventures.
At the far end of the square, once the site of a tavern, Cervantes’ deluded knight checks in and spends the evening standing guard with a colander on his head, convinced it’s a helmet. Cervantes, who knew Cordoba well and appreciated its cheeky sense of humour, has the landlord mock Don Quijote with a list of ‘famous’ locations – all, in fact, brothels – to which Don Quijote solemnly replies that he has indeed guarded them all.
Lastly, the square is home to the Museo Julio Romero de Torres. The artist, born in 1874 and a lifelong cordobes, lived in this very building. Today it houses the finest collection of his works. Romero was known for his dedication to capturing the essence of Cordoba’s women – dark hair, olive skin, intense eyes – and he was never short of muses.
From here, we move on to another of Cordoba’s lesser-known spaces: the Plaza de la Corredera.
Unlike any other square in the city, this large rectangular plaza now hosts an open-air market. But in centuries past, it served as the city’s bullring.
Built in 1683, its stark architecture reflects the austere psychology of 17th-century Cordoba. It also has a darker history: it was once the site of public executions, where non-Christians were sometimes burnt at the stake.
Thankfully, Cordoba also offers plenty of lighter fare. A short stroll away is the Casa Mudejar, a cluster of interconnected houses from the 1500s, designed in traditional Arab style. Cordoba, after all, remains Spain’s most ‘Arabic’ city in character.
Perhaps the city’s most iconic figure is Manolete, the legendary bullfighter who was fatally gored in 1947.
His memory still looms large here, and nowhere more so than at the Municipal Bullfighting Museum, located in the Jewish Quarter.
Then there’s the Centro Flamenco Fosforito, a cultural centre dedicated to Antonio Fernandez Diaz – better known as Fosforito – widely regarded as Cordoba’s greatest living flamenco singer.But this isn’t just a museum. Ever wondered what a seguiriya is? Here, interactive displays walk you through the various palos (styles) of flamenco music.
And if you’re staying more than a day, consider catching a live performance at the centre. Because here’s the twist: the Flamenco Centre is located in the very building that once housed Don Quijote’s infamous tavern – the one where the Man of La Mancha stood guard with a kitchen strainer on his head.
History, humour, and haunting melodies – that’s the magic of Cordoba’s hidden corners.
READ MORE:
