Quesada is a white town at the foot of the Sierra de Cazorla, in the province of Jaén, surrounded by an ocean of olive trees. The groves stretch to the horizon in every direction, a landscape that makes Jaén the world's largest producer of olive oil. Behind the town, the mountains rise steeply, with pine forest and limestone cliffs, and the Guadalquivir river has its source not far away. The Abrigo del Melgar lies in the hills just outside the town.
The Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas is Spain's largest protected natural area, home to deer, ibex, wild boar and griffon vultures, with forests of black pine and deep gorges. Its foothills hold many rock shelters with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean basin. The paintings around Quesada are mostly schematic, with stylised figures and symbols. The Cueva del Agua, a cave sanctuary near Tíscar, is a place of pilgrimage nearby, where a waterfall pours through the rock.
Quesada is the birthplace of the painter Rafael Zabaleta, one of the most important Spanish artists of the twentieth century, and the town has a museum dedicated to his work, with paintings of the local landscape and people. It is a quiet town with a pleasant centre and good views over the olive groves.
The riding around Quesada is wonderful. The road from Quesada up to Tíscar and on toward Pozo Alcón climbs into the mountains through pine forest, with hairpins, cliffs and views. The roads into the Sierra de Cazorla, toward Cazorla town, the Guadalquivir valley and the reservoir of El Tranco, are among the best in Andalucía, with endless curves and almost no traffic outside the summer holidays. Watch for deer and wild boar on the road, and for gravel in the corners.
Quesada has fuel and food. Local cuisine includes andrajos, a stew with pieces of flatbread, and, of course, excellent olive oil. Spring and autumn are perfect; summer heat in the valleys is intense, and winter can bring snow to the mountains.