Spain – Cordoba – Lucena (En)
Lucena is a city and a Spanish municipality in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. It is located just 50 minutes from the capital, Córdoba. Due to its Jewish past, it is also known as the “Pearl of Sepharad”.
Where to stay
We stayed in the town’s motorhome area (37.416723, -4.492937 lat, long), which is free. The area is perfect, you can fill and empty the grey and black water easily, and it is completely flat, so there is no need for ramps. It is tranquil, with a dog park next door and the bullring. Easy to get to the centre of town, a 20-minute walk and you find yourself in the new square, the most important in Lucena.
What to see
We walked to see the town with Asha. The first thing we found was the Church and Convent of the Mother of God, from the 17th-18th centuries, in an austere baroque style. The interior cloister stands out with semicircular arches and a large central fountain. We couldn’t see it inside because it was closed.
From there, we arrived at the Plaza Nueva where Felipe III granted the title of city to Lucena. In this square, there are important architectural buildings such as the town hall, the Erisana Palace and the Parish of San Mateo and it is where the famous Christmas markets are held at Christmas.
Parish of San Mateo, considered the cathedral of Subbética. This small church is one of the oldest in the province of Córdoba, built-in 1498. Noteworthy is the Chapel of Sagrario, built between 1740 and 1772 and considered one of the masterpieces of Andalusian Baroque. We also couldn’t enter because it was also closed.
Town Hall and ErisanaPalace, the palace was inaugurated on December 25, 1954, a coliseum called to star in the social and cultural life of the town. It currently houses the city’s theater and the Duque de Rivas Theater school is located in its facilities.
Afterwards, we went to San Miguel Square, where the food market is located and in front you find the Castle of the Moral, declared an asset of Cultural Interest, whose antiquity dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Here you find the Morral Tower and the Tribute Tower.
We finished our visit by going to the new square and having lunch on one of its terraces. In the province of Córdoba, they give you free tapas with your drinks, and they gave us pâté toast with strawberry jam. It seems that nachos with cheeks and flamenquín are typical of this area, which is a traditional Córdoba dish made with slices of Serrano ham wrapped in pieces of pork loin, coated with breadcrumbs. We shared some nachos that had cheeks, cheese and guacamole and a flamenquín that had Iberian secret and Iberian ham. The best flamenquín we have tried! We recommend you try it if you go to Lucena.
Our next stop is in the town of Cabra, which we have been told is very beautiful and full of monuments of interest, which you will be able to see in the next post!
