After nearly two years living abroad, I had visited about a fifteen Spanish cities, my list short of Cordoba. I threw my hands up and made the most budget-friendly AirBnB reservation, crossing my fingers it would be worth the trip. Every day since Los Patios, I feel so grateful for how that final weekend getaway just fell into place.

I hope you enjoy my little digital photo tour of this magical occasion and humble city.

Los Patios is one of those events known for ushering in summer. In Cordoba, I knew the seasons had officially changed and summer had arrived. I saw certain things for the first time since our arrival in September. Warm afternoon breezes, flowers in full bloom & countless colors surrounding you, and groups of laughing, smiley Spaniards in sundresses strolling outside with Cañas and helados.

We knew we needed to check out Cordoba for this particular occasion – Los Patios. Los Patios is a tradition dating back to the 1930s, exclusive to the city of Cordoba. In this tradition, atriums and courtyard gardens are opened to the general public. Awe-inspiring displays of flowers, plants, vines, garden trinkets and knick knacks blanket the concrete walls and tile floors of ‘patios’.

While it is a casual event for visitors such as me and Jeff, it is in fact a competition. This competition is typically held during the second and third week of May. During this time of year, the region of Andalucia is just getting to be hot during the day, yet remaining chilly at night. It was the perfect moment to get stranded outside.

The competing courtyards are held in the old Jewish quarter of the city (also known as the Judería). The more contemporary parts of the city feature restaurants, shopping and crowds of Cordovans going about their daily business and errands.

The old Jewish quarter is what most Americans picture when envisioning Spain. It is residential, old – ancient – quaint. All of the buildings are close together and ALL white, with splashes of bright color by painted window sills or vibrant plants. Moorish architecture, typical of Andalusian cities, is especially enchanting here.

The maze of alleyways and and similar appearance of whitewashed buildings en la Judería left us turned around more than once.

Different times of day permit incredible sunlight patterns along the white walls, corners, arches and windows. It may be the most photogenic place I’ve ever seen.

You can get a map with all of the participating patios marked on it. This makes it easy to ensure you’ve seen all there is to see. However, there is something magical about simply wandering the old stone streets until you come across an elaborate entryway draped with flowers and lined with potted plants. This is an indicators of a patio participating in the festival.

When entering a patio, there is typically someone greeting you and holding a basket. If not, there is a basket just next to the doorway in which you may place a donation. This is not mandatory, rather, encouraged.

As wowed as we were by that concept (since nothing is free where we’re from), I’ve never felt more eager to offer a donation. The hard work was right in front of us. Those who created these fairy tale-like settings were excited to present it to us and welcome us inside.

What a special feeling that is.

Almost guaranteed to happen, more than once: Groups singing throughout the street and even inside of the courtyards. If only we could understand the words or significance of what they wore.

Help me out in the comments, please!

One patio we visited even had a greenhouse, somehow mimicking a drastic the desert climate. The amount of succulents in here blew us away!

 

Los Patios is probably in my list of top 5 things to do in Spain. I would not advise visiting Spain during the month of May and missing this event. Something about nature within the city created the most tranquil scene for me to say goodbye to Spain. Take a Bla Bla car or the train and prepare to be inspired.