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Andalucia
Make the most of your time in Andalucia, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.
Andalucia is a land of diversity. It is Spain’s second largest autonomous community after Castile y Leon and is in fact the country’s most populous region. The area has seen periods of colonisation and rule by the Romans, the Moors, the Tartessians and Phoenicians, the Vandals and the Visigoths and the Carthaginians over the years. Travelling through Andalucia visitors will find the lovely Guadalquivir Valley with its river running through. At one end of the scale there is the Sierra Nevada mountain range which proves a popular skiing resort during the winter, while at the other end there is the Tabernas Desert in the province of Almeria.
The community covers more than a sixth of Spain and features more than 80 natural sites, parks and reserves. It also has a sweeping coast which winds its way along the Mediterranean and onto the Atlantic Ocean. It includes 600 kilometres of sandy beaches in the form of popular holiday destinations the Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Costa Almeria and Costa Tropical, while inland it borders Portugal and other Spanish communities Murcia, Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha. Enshrined in Spain’s constitution is the right of self-government to the regions and so Andalucia is governed from the Junta de Andalucia which is to be found in its largest city Sevilla. Also in the region are the delightful cities of Cordoba which was formerly home to the Caliphate during the period of Muslim rule, and Granada with its picturesque buildings and scenery. The area proves popular among Spanish as well as European tourists, particularly the coastal resorts Malaga and Marbella as well as the well-known Almeria, Cadiz, Torremolinos and Huelva.
Andalucia’s history is thought to date back to 8,000 BC when North African tribes settled and plays host to Cadiz which claims to be Europe’s oldest city. More recently, after Spain shed its dictatorship with 
General Franco’s death in 1975, Andalucia was declared an autonomous region in 1982. The community does have a reputation for being a particularly poor region, although since Spain joined the European Union in 1986 it has received vast subsidies to boost the agricultural sector. This move, along with an increase in tourism and industry, has signalled a period of prosperity even if it still lags behind much of the rest of the country.
Many famous names have come out of Andalucia and many flock there to the visit likes of Marbella. Actor Antonio Banderas and actress Penelope Cruz are some of Hollywood’s biggest names to come out of the south of Spain, while world-renowned artists Pablo Picasso and Diego Velazquez were born in Malaga and Sevilla respectively. Meanwhile from the political sphere, Roman emperor Hadrian was born in the Roman-built city of Italica near to Sevilla, while Blas Infante, also born in the community’s capital, fought for regional autonomy at the beginning of the 20th century before he was executed by General Franco’s forces.
Andalucians celebrate Andalucia Day on February 28 while when it comes to the month of May Andalucia comes to life with a chain of festivals such as the May Crosses Festival, celebrated most intensely in Cordoba, the patio festival and of course Holy Week. There are other spring festivals as well as harvest festivals and patron saint festivals. The tradition of bullfighting is popular in the region and incorporates dressing up, dancing and Spanish guitar playing as part of its festivities. Meanwhile some of Andalucia’s main cuisines are seafood which is not surprising due to its lengthy coastline, legume pottages and game meat stews.