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AN
AFFINITY WITH THE COUNTRYSIDE.
In Cordova, Spain, over 100,000 people and 150,000 hectares are devoted
solely to the production of olive oil. Whole towns make oil making
their way of life, organizing themselves into small cooperatives that
act as a truly economic driving force. In the midst of this landscape
Cordoliva can be found, the most important class-two cooperative in
Spain. Why class two? Because twenty-two Cordovan cooperatives and
12,000 people have united forces to provide a top quality product.
It is an organization model that has managed to unite the excellence
of quasi-artisanal production with the guarantees of modern methods
of storage, quality control and packaging.
Cordova provides the raw material, its people and the labor. And Cordoliva
turns an alluring dream of the land into a reality: an extra virgin
olive oil impeccably manufactured that has conquered the world with
the quality of its flavor.
CORDOVA IN ANDALUSIA.
Cordova's geographical location affords it to stand as one of the
European strategic centers of communication. It lies at the head of
investments made by European projects, both in terms of rural development
as well as export policies.
The budget of the County Council of Cordova for 2000-2001 totaled
21,285 million pesetas. Over 7,400 million will be used for new road
projects that will widen and improve the 2,500 kilometers of existing
roads.
The so vindicated project of the Cordova-Málaga high-speed train (AVE)
has been frozen and the fight is on to get it underway again. The
Guadalquivir River gently flows through its fertile countryside, from
the vines of which full-bodied wines are made and from its olive trees
choice oil of a well-deserved reputation..
To the north rise the blue mountains of the Sierra Morena, full of
game preserves and extensive forests. To the south stretch more mountains
where the olive tree now reigns. This is the Subbética range.
Cordova is a tempting city to lose oneself in its warren of streets,
to admire its churches, relax in its squares scented with orange blossom,
roam its different cultures, peek into its patios and become entranced
in its Mosque, unique in Europe, an Arabic building in which a cathedral
was built with Gothic, Plateresque and Baroque elements and where
Caliphal art is at its height. It is the third most important mosque
in the world in terms of size and a piece of Humanity Heritage.
A STROLL THROUGH CORDOVA.
Cordova is a city to be explored on foot, to roam its streets and
immerse oneself in the shady patios where pots of fragrant flowers
envelop you in their sweet-smelling aroma. From the old Jewish quarter
you can admire the former Synagogue, the Almodóvar Gate and the Royal
Palace of the Christian Monarchs, where caliphal baths, gardens and
pointed domes can be appreciated along with the mosaics which still
remind us of the importance of the city under the power of Rome.
With the conquest of the 13th century, Cordova gradually became replete
with churches that mark the transition from the Romanesque to the
Gothic era, some of them still possessing remains of former Arabic
buildings: La Magdalena, Santa Marina, San Lorenzo, San Miguel, San
Pablo and San Nicolás de la Villa.
There is also a vast array of Baroque features too, such as the magnificent
Palacio de la Merced.
Cordova lies on both sides of the river. On one side extends almost
the entire town and on the other the Verdad park and the monuments,
including the Calahorra Tower. Cordova's squares or plazas are another
vital element in the town, ranging from the sound Plaza de La Corredera
to the naked beauty of los Capuchinos, with its Cristo de los Faroles.
ANDALUSIA IN EUROPE.
Andalusia stands out as one of the most distinctly characterized European
regions.
Not only is it one of the most extensive and most populated, but also
one of the best located on the European map.
Its climate, flora and fauna are among the most varied and interesting
in the Mediterranean. It is the self-governed region in Spain with
the largest number of protected wildlife areas: 98 at the beginning
of the year 2000, of which 2 are National Parks, 23 Natural Parks,
28 Reserves, 31 Sites, 2 Public Reserves and 12 Suburban Parks.
17% of the region's territory (over 1.6 million hectares) is included
in the so-called Andalusian Network for Protected Wildlife Areas (RENPA).
).
From an economic point of view it is wealthy and it is on this basis
that the significant economic development of public and private initiative
in recent decades has been undertaken.
Andalusia has one of the richest artistic and monumental heritages
in Spain and its cultural heritage in other fields is also important.
There is, for example, its anthropological heritage: its folkloric
celebrations, its festivals and popular lay and religious pageants,
the richness of its material heritage (artefacts, crafts), its rural
and city customs, many of them dating back to centuries ago, others
practically unique, the insight it provides into Mediterranean communities.
Its linguistic idiosyncrasy is notorious: Andalusian and its dialects
provide an anthropological wealth of identity, which has also had
an influence on other languages and dialects in Spain and America.
Andalusian history is extremely important due to both its collective
events and its individual characters, some of which have been decisive
in history. Its peculiarity and solidity as a community, as the Andalusian
community, implies such an extremely distinct and striking personality
that very often, incorrectly but unconsciously, it is projected over
the whole of Spain and compelled to characterize every Spaniard.
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