Visit Andalusia, Spain

Culminating at the point where the Mediterranean brushes North Africa, Andalusia was the last part of Spain to be reclaimed from the Moors. Centuries later, their influence is still apparent in the region’s cities, citadels, azulejo street signs and its architecture at large. Our specialists have spent time in this sultry southern part of Spain. They can arrange for you to tour Córdoba’s Mezquita mosque-cathedral, the Alcázar of Seville and, of course, the Alhambra, the last seat of the Moors in Granada. But, that’s just one part of the whole.

In places like Córdoba and Seville, Andalusia’s Jewish legacy is as apparent as its Islamic past, where the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarters lie in the shadows of Moorish relics. Flamenco also took shape in the concealed courtyards of Andalusia’s Roma communities. On an evening in Seville, you can discover this art form, which combines dance and song, before sharing in one of the Andalusia’s other great joys, its food. The region’s tapas culture spotlights sherry and jamón Ibérico, but the sea and plains also yield olives, seafood and sub-tropical fruits. And, with its following of foreign notables (Ernest Hemingway, for one), the gorge-split town of Ronda, on the edge of El Tajo Gorge, is the worthy finale to a drive into the mountains of Andalusia’s Sierra Nevada.