Experiences, Spain, Europe, TravelElizabeth AndersonPatios de Córdoba, Córdoba, Cordoba, Spain, Andalusia, Arabic, patio, patios, flowers, plants, flower, garden, botanic, botanic garden, festival, fiesta, Fiesta de los Patios de Córdoba, fiesta de los patios, tradition, travel, courtyard, celebration, history, patios cordobeses, Cordovan, siestaComment

Patios de Córdoba

Experiences, Spain, Europe, TravelElizabeth AndersonPatios de Córdoba, Córdoba, Cordoba, Spain, Andalusia, Arabic, patio, patios, flowers, plants, flower, garden, botanic, botanic garden, festival, fiesta, Fiesta de los Patios de Córdoba, fiesta de los patios, tradition, travel, courtyard, celebration, history, patios cordobeses, Cordovan, siestaComment
Patios de Córdoba

Fiesta de los Patios de Córdoba is a tradition that started over a hundred years ago.

Each year, many residents of Córdoba open up their homes to the public as part of the Fiesta de los Patios. The patios in Córdoba are an important area of one’s home; a central courtyard that provides light and ventilation to the rest of the home, as well as providing a communal space for family and friends to gather. The city has a rich Arabic history, and these patios are a testament to that influence.

This year there were over 60 participants in the contest, each of whom opens their patio for viewing twice a day for two weeks during the festival. This draws huge crowds, and you can see people of all ages wandering the city streets with a festival map trying to see as many patios as possible. We visited around 20 of these lovely patios, and if we had more time in the city we would have gone for more. The patios were open during the late morning and early evening, so as to avoid the heat of the day (siesta). Visitng the gardens was stunning, as each has its own unique design and plants. The work that these Cordovans put into their patios over the years really shows, as it would take a lot of time and care to put one of these works of art together.

My photos definitely don’t do the patios justice, and I only had my camera with me in a few of them, so if you’d like to indulge in more flower photos you should check out the @fiestapatios Instagram page for more.