In the south east of the Córdoba province, the olive growing region of La Subbética includes a number of unique and picturesque Andalucían towns and villages from the capital of baroque, Priego de Córdoba with its elaborate fountains and churches, to the picturesque, traditional "pueblos blancos" - the white villages. The Subbética Natural Park provides excellent country for walking and other outdoor pursuits; it contains a range of flora and fauna as well as the highest peak in the Córdoba province. La Subbética is perhaps the most visited area of the Córdoba province, outside the city itself, with tourists attracted by the delightful pueblos blancos and the pristine countryside. Nevertheless, this area is still well off the tourist trail and even in the busiest towns and prettiest villages, English is rarely heard and most of the visitors are Spanish tourists.

Cabra
The main town of La Subbetica, Cabra is well positioned in the Córdoban countryside. This town of 20,000 people was once an important Roman outpost which later flourished under the Visigoths. During Muslim rule, it was an important olive producing centre. To the west of the town, the church of Asunción is an impressive sight. Its striking red marble columns are testimony to the fact that the building was originally a mosque which was converted to a church. From the church, there are wonderful views to the surrounding landscape which is covered with olive trees, and to the stark peaks in the distance where the hermitage of the Virgen de la Sierra is located. Next to the Asuncíon is a school, which was once the palace of the Counts of Cabra, which has a mudéjar tower. The Spanish author, Juan Valera, was born in Cabra and although he didn't spend much time living in the town, he immortalised Cabra in his novels. The Hermitage of the Virgen de la Sierra, which f!eatures in one of Valera's novels, is 7km from the town. It is reputed to be at the exact centre of Andalucía and from the hermitage there are wonderful views across Andalucía to the Sierra Nevada and the Guadalquivir. Pilgrimages from Cabra to the hermitage take place all year round when large groups of people gather to carry images to the shrine. Cabra has produced other famous artists, Pedro Iglesias, the poet and Cayentano Muriel, the singer, statues of whom can be seen in the town. There is an olive oil museum in Cabra, which follows the history of oil production from the Roman times to today. Cabra has all necessary amenities including supermarkets, banks, shops, restaurants and hotels. There is a public swimming pool on the outskirts of town and also a natural spring. Semana Santa, (Easter) is celebrated fervourantly in Cabra, climaxing on Easter Sunday when Stations of the Cross are carried around the town. The festivities of Cruz de Mayo, at the beginning of M!ay, feature the decking of the town with colourful flowers, which can look quite spectacular against the whitewashed houses. On the 4th of September, the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Sierra commences when the Virgen is carried into the town. A week of festivities follows, with bullfights, flower fights, eating, drinking and dancing. Cabra is 12km from Lucena and 72km from Córdoba.
North of Cabra is the village of Doña Mencina with 5000 inhabitants. Juan Valera lived here for a while and set one of his novels in the village. There is a ruined castle towards the end of the street where Valera lived.

Zuheros
Zuheros is a particularly beautiful example of the pueblos blancos - the white villages. With a history stretching back to Roman times, the Muslims created Zuheros proper and built a castle here which was captured by the Christians in 1241 and became one of the vital defences against Muslim rule in Granada. The church here is dedicated to the patron saint of the village, the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. It is a 16th century structure with a, 18th century bell tower. Located on the edge of the Sierra Subbetica Natural Park, Zuheros attracts a number artists and country lovers eager to escape to a quiet area of natural beauty. Zuhero's cheese factory is well known, where cheese is produced from the milk of local mountain goats and is sold internationally. The Cueva de los Murciélagos (the cave of bats) is found in the hills near Zuheros. Some important prehistoric remains were found here in the last century which proved to be revealing of Neolithic bu!rial practices. Inside the caves, nearly 100 bodies were found, some of them positioned in a semi-circle around a woman decorated with sea-shells, some of them in a semi-mummified state. It was deduced that the cave was a burial chamber of an important chief who had wanted his servants and friends with him in death as well as life. Zuheros is 24km from Cabra and just a few kilometres from Doña Mencina. 900 people live in the village, there is a guest house here, a local shop and some bars.

Luque
This attractive village of 3400 people stands on a rocky outcrop a few kilometres from Zuheros. On top of the hill is a Moorish castle, which the village is built around. The village's Gothic church, La Asunción, has a fabulous limestone façade. Olives are grown in the countryside surrounding the village and there is an olive oil co-operative in the village which produces quality extra virgin olive oil. Luque's Semana Santa (Easter) celebrations are unique in that the female residents of the village carry a heavy throne through the streets. Luque's patron saint, San Isidro, is honoured by a fiesta that takes place at the beginning of May. Luque is 10km from the town of Baena and 74km from Córdoba.

Priego de Córdoba
Standing on the edge of a plateau, Priego looks out over the Subbética mountains and is itself built beneath Córdoba's highest peak. Set in lovely surroundings of rocky outcrops, olive fields and mountain ravines, Priego is a successful olive-farming town of 22,000 people. The town dates back to Roman times and swapped hands between Moors and Christians several times in its history. Priego came into its own during the 18th century, when the textiles that it produced became internationally renowned and wealth flowed into the town. During this time, Priego was to become one of the greatest towns of baroque architecture in Spain. The town centre is a delight for lovers of baroque, with 18th century fountains decorated with gargoyles and dragons, the church of San Pedro with its elaborate baroque altar and the parish church of Asunción, which is an unassuming 16th century structure with an extravagant 18th century interior. The altarpiece in San Pedro was designed b!y the Spanish baroque architect, Hurtado Izzquierdo who died in Priego. Perhaps the loveliest area of Priego is behind the Aurora chapel in the Barrio de la Villa area. This is the medieval area of Priego which hangs directly over a precipice, the narrow, cobbled streets are flanked by whitewashed houses and one street, the Balcon de Aldarve, clings to the cliff face and offers fantastic views of the surrounding scenery. The white houses are often adorned with pots of flowers and the doors and windows painted blue or green. Unusually for this area of Spain, the houses have drainpipes and guttering. Each Saturday night, a procession begins at the Iglesia de la Aurora, when men in cloaks set out to sing songs and collect alms in an old tradition. Priego's summer feria is held at the end of August. The town has 2 museums, a cinema, a theatre and plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. Located in the south east of Córdoba, Priego is near the borders of the province with the pr!ovinces of Granada and Jaen, it is 103km from Córdoba, 60km from the city of Jaen and 85km from Granada. Buses run from Priego to the surrounding villages.

Almedinilla is a pretty village of 2500 people is located a few kilometres from Priego. Almedinilla was an important place in Roman times and the remains of a large Roman villa were found here and can be viewed by the public. A former watermill in the village has now been turned into a museum. Almedinilla is 9km east of Priego. 15km north of Almendinilla on a narrow, winding road is the small village of Fuente Tojar with a population of 850. There is 1 tapas bar in Fuente Tojar and no restaurant.

Carcabuey
Another "pueblo blanco", Carcabuey is a village of 3000 people whose whitewashed Andalucían buildings cling to the side of a cliff, seemingly suspended above the olive trees that cover the hills and valleys below. In the middle of the Subbética Natural Park, Carcabuey has a friendly atmosphere and all the characteristics of a typical Córdoban village. The tower of the parish church of San Marcos stands out as a landmark in the village, as does the castle. There are several small shops, tapas bars and a bakery in the village which is 12km west of Priego de Córdoba.

Iznájar
In the south of La Subbética, Iznájar is a town of 6000 people nestled on the edge of a reservoir 30km long. At the entrance to the Subbética Natural Park, Iznájar is surrounded by an expanse of water on one side and beautiful countryside on the other. The town is situated on a rocky outcrop above the lake and in its excellent waterfront location, it seems from a distance to be an island peaking out of the water. A bridge has been built over the reservoir at Iznájar to carry traffic heading north to Priego or south to Archidona in the Málaga province. The town was settled by the Iberians and later became a Moorish conquest. The Moors built a castle here which was named "Hins Ashar", the name was later corrupted to the present day name of the town. Iznájar was captured by the Christians 60 years before the reconquest of Granada. The ruined Moorish castle can still be seen, as can parts of the old fortified town wall and the 15th century church of! Santiago has an unusual Baroque altar piece. The Barrio del Coso area is a lovely place to wander around, its maze of narrow lanes meander around attractive, whitewashed houses. From the main square, the Plaza Nueva, wonderful views of the surrounding countryside can be seen. Festivities in Iznájar include Semana Santa (Easter), when the locals play out a religious epic in a theatrical production featuring scenes from the bible. On April 25th, San Marcos is honoured by the inhabitants by a communal picnic that is held in the countryside near the town. The reservoir provides an excellent place for fishing, birdwatching and all kinds of watersports. There are shops, bars and restaurants in the town, the nearest large service centre is Priego de Córdoba, 20km to the north.

Rute
A charming white village, Rute overlooks the Iznájar reservoir and is backed by the Subbética Natural Park. A town of 10,000 inhabitants, Rute is renowned for its sweet and dry anis. There is a museum in Rute dedicated to Túrron, or Nougat as we know it. The museum explains traditional production methods and displays tools and machinery involved in Túrron production. The faous poet, Rafael Alberti spent a lot of time in Rute during the 1920's and produced a work called "Cuaderno de Rute" - the Rute notebook. Rute has a number of shops, bars and restaurants and is 20km from the larger town of Lucena.