Omgeving | Caseta Castaña

Interesting places to go:

• La Natural Park Subbética - on your doorstep - is made up of fourteen towns in the south of the province of Córdoba. The Park contains 159.190 hectares. The towns are attractive and welcoming with plenty of historic, artistic and archaeological sites, which reflect the richness of this area. Not forgetting their gastronomy and traditional agricultural products, mainly related to ‘Oro Líquido' (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)!

• Antequera - approx 40 minutes. Is the nearest big town to Iznájar and Rute, has an in- and outdoor market, is full of historic buildings and is also a good place to shop with tapas bars and good restaurants. Just outside the town is Antequera Golf course, which consists of 18 holes, restaurant with superb panoramic views.

• Córdoba -90 km, approx. 1h: 15min. Reasonable sign-posting to Mezquita and Juderia section of city. Good roads (part motorway) and ample parking. Córdoba is another world with plenty of historic points such as the Jewish Quarter (with its narrow streets and balconies with potted plants and flowers), The Roman Bridge (crosses the Guadalquivir ) and the Roman Temple built in the 1 st century AD.

• El Torcal - between Antequera and Malaga (approx. 50 minutes drive), a breathtaking rock formation with two ‘via verdes' (walks) and stunning views towards the Coast and ‘Pueblos Blancos' (white washed villages)

• Antequera - approx 40 minutes. Is the nearest big town to Iznájar and Rute, has an in- and outdoor market, is full of historic buildings and is also a good place to shop with tapas bars and good restaurants. Just outside the town is Antequera Golf course, which consists of 18 holes, restaurant with superb panoramic views.

• Córdoba -90 km, approx. 1h: 15min. Reasonable sign-posting to Mezquita and Juderia section of city. Good roads (part motorway) and ample parking. Córdoba is another world with plenty of historic points such as the Jewish Quarter (with its narrow streets and balconies with potted plants and flowers), The Roman Bridge (crosses the Guadalquivir ) and the Roman Temple built in the 1 st century AD.

• El Torcal - between Antequera and Malaga (approx. 50 minutes drive), a breathtaking rock formation with two ‘via verdes' (walks) and stunning views towards the Coast and ‘Pueblos Blancos' (white washed villages)

• Granada - 100 km, approx. 1h: 10min. ‘A' class road and motorway direct to City Centre, Airport or The Alhambra Palace, where parking is excellent. Granada has an aura of ochre, especially in the evenings as the dying rays of sunshine hit the walls of The Alhambra. The same colouring can be seen in the ancient Albaicin, the old Moorish quarter of the city. Granada has the best-preserved Moorish baths, the ‘Banos del Banuelo' as well as an old Moorish silk market in La Alcaicería. Just 20 minutes away is the Sierra Nevada now a biospheric reserve and nature park. It has the biggest variety of species in the entire western Mediterranean basin. It also has the highest peak on the Spanish mainland. The ski slopes are the most southerly in Europe . A visit to the Alpujarras, with tiny white washed villages dotted around the southern end of the Sierra Nevada makes an excellent day trip! This part of Spain was made known to the English speaking world mainly by the fact that 20th century English writer Gerard Brennan lived here, on his first trip to Spain and Chris Stuart (‘driving over lemons' etc.) still lives here.

• Malaga - 70 km, approx. 1 hour. Good road and motorway to City Centre and Airport. Malaga means sunshine, light and an exceptionally good climate. It has everything to offer from beautiful landscape and sandy beaches to shopping galore and plenty of important works of architecture and history, such as: Alcazaba, the Roman Theatre, the Cathedral (The Manquita), the Jewish Quarter, the Gibralfaro, the Plaza de la Merced, where Pablo Picasso was born) and the Alameda Gardens (botanical garden).

• Laguna (meer) de Fuente de Piedra is well worth a visit and is 20 km from Antequera. When there has been enough rainfall between October and February to fill up the salt lake, which dries out in the summer, up to 40,000 pink flamingos will come in March to make their home here in one of the largest breeding grounds in Europe .

• Sevilla - 180 km, approx. 2 hours. Good ‘A' class road to motorway direct to city centre. Known as 'Hispalis' during Roman times, the city flourished under Moorish rule. Following the discovery of America , Sevilla became the commercial centre of all of Europe and the biggest city in Spain . Its Cathedral, The Alcázares and the ‘Archivo de Indias ' were declared by UNESCO in 1987 to be World Heritage. A tour of the city should also include a visit to the Casa de Pilatos, Barrio de Santa Cruz , the Giralda, the Torre del Oro (the Tower of Gold) and a walk along the banks of the Guadalquivir River .

• Priego de Córdoba - 31 km, located in the heart of the Subbética Natural Park. Mountain and bird watching paradise with stunning views.