Like a Virgin Andalucia

The expansive region of Andalucia stretches across southern Spain, incorporating the coastal provinces of Huelva, Cadiz, Malaga and Almeria, and spreading inland to Sevilla, Cordoba, Jaen and Granada, where the rolling hills are cloaked with olive trees. The Sierra Nevada mountains offer a dramatic backdrop that separates Granada and Almeria to the east. The peaks remain snow-capped right through summer and there are wonderful forests and national parks to explore. The Moors occupied these lands for 700 years through the Middle Ages, leaving a unique legacy that is reflected in the region’s culture, food and architecture. It feels distinctly different from other parts of Spain. The classic Andalucian houses, haciendas and hotels have internal courtyards fragrant with lemon trees and rose bushes (a style that is also found in Morocco, due to its own Moorish history), and the houses are painted white with distinctive yellow and green tiles, a colour scheme that is used throughout the entire region.