Spain – Iznájar (En)

Iznájar is a Spanish municipality in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. At the top of the town is the Hisn-Ashar castle and the parish of Santiago Apóstol. At the end of the 19th century, more than two-thirds of its population was spread across farmhouses, country houses and villages. In 2016 it had 4,461 inhabitants. The town is located in the center of the largest reservoir in the region, making it one of the most beautiful towns in Andalusia.

Where to stay

We stayed at Camping Valdearenas (37.262934, -4.323499 lat, long), located right on the reservoir with impressive views. The campsite has only about 10 spaces for motorhomes. The facilities are good, although on a hill. We found it quite expensive for what they offered, we paid 30 euros including electricity, and 2 euros for Asha, our dog. The campsite has a restaurant, and there is another right next door that offers daily menus. We tried both restaurants. At the campsite restaurant, we had a fish platter that was not bad, with a bottle of wine, a total of 30 euros. There are places to stay for free around the reservoir, which we recommend, since camping seemed very expensive to us.

What to see

The Iznájar reservoir is the largest in Andalusia and the water belongs to the Genil River. It was inaugurated in 1969, turning Iznajar into a small peninsula. It is very popular in summer when people come to the so-called Valdearenas Beach to bathe. We toured it with our friends Joy and Sham and their dog Red, and we had lunch at the Valdearenas restaurant, the menu of the day. We ate bean stew first and pork ribs second. The menu is 11 euros with the drink and dessert included.

Iznájar Viewpoints, on the tour of the town, which we visited with our friend Phil, you come across a lot of viewpoints, each one with a different and impressive view of the reservoir and the olive fields. The most important are the Mirador del Postigo, and the Mirador de la Cruz de San Pedro, where the town’s open-air theater is located. Behind the Church of Santiago, at the top of the town, you will also find a viewpoint with one of the best views to see in Iznájar.

Entrance arches, we went up and the first thing we found was the entrance arches, one next to the museum and another made of brick in the shape of a horseshoe, which was one of the old doors of the wall.

Then we saw the Clock Tower built on an old tower in the wall and the Town Hall.

Patio de las Comedias, is a small square full of blue pots with flowers. This was the medieval market and later the place for theatrical performances, hence its name. For me, the most beautiful place in the entire town.

The Tower of St Rafael, going down some beautiful and colorful stairs, you reach the Tower of San Rafael, where there is also a viewpoint with incredible views.

The Church of Santiago, a Renaissance construction from the 16th century dedicated to the cult of the Apostle Santiago and whose interior features the main altarpiece, from the 18th century.

The Municipal Library, through which you access the Castle. We did not enter the castle but we got some incredible photos of it. The Castle dates from the 8th century to which a series of successive reconstructions and extensions were carried out until the 15th century. In 1991, the Iznájar City Council bought it, becoming part of the local heritage.

The house of the columns, then we went down and we found the house of the columns, a historic house from the 18th century where the town’s taxes were collected. The Salazar coats of arms and the central grille of the façade stand out, as well as some stone columns located on both sides of the entrance door to which it owes its name.

And we ended the day having lunch at the Valdearena restaurant, with another menu of the day, this time, Ben and I had lasagna as a starter and the typical flamenquín from Cordoba as a second, which are pork loin fillets that are stuffed with Serrano ham and They roll up, forming a kind of elongated roll. Phil ate a salad first and a minced soup for the second.

And our next visit was to the towns of Casares and Castellar de la Frontera, which you can see in the next post.