Córdoba was once the biggest city in Europe, or so people say, and it is easy to believe when you stand inside the Mezquita. The great mosque was begun in 785 by Abd al-Rahman I, on the site of a Visigothic church, and it grew over two centuries until it held a forest of columns, hundreds of them, in red-and-white striped arches that seem to run on forever. In the sixteenth century a Christian cathedral was built in the middle of it, a clumsy and strangely moving collision of two worlds, and the emperor who approved it is said to have regretted it when he saw the result.
The historic centre, which UNESCO listed in 1984 and extended in 1994, includes the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, the Calahorra tower at its far end, and the Judería, the old Jewish quarter, with its narrow whitewashed lanes. The city was home to the philosophers Averroes and Maimonides, and it was a centre of learning and trade while most of Europe was struggling. Today the patios, the inner courtyards of the old houses, are the pride of the city, and in May there is a festival when they are opened to the public, with flowers on every wall.
Riding into Córdoba, you will probably come by the autovía along the Guadalquivir valley, flat and fast, through olive groves and fields of sunflowers, with the Sierra Morena rising to the north. The city centre is a tangle of narrow lanes, and the old quarter is largely closed to traffic, so park outside the walls or in a garage and walk. Summers are famously hot, with temperatures above forty degrees common in July and August, and the pavements of the old town reflect the heat, so the early morning and the evening are best.
Córdoba has some three hundred and thirty thousand people, so there is no trouble with fuel, food or beds. Try salmorejo, a thick cold tomato cream with ham and egg, and flamenquín, and a cup of strong coffee in a café near the mosque. The ride goes on to Baeza, a short run through olive country.
Spring, when the orange blossom perfumes the streets, is the best time to visit, followed by autumn.