Úbeda in ten reasons
1) THE ONLY SCULPTURE OF MIGUEL ANGEL IN SPAIN
She has not yet returned to Úbeda, but she is already ready and as fresh from the wheel the only sculpture attributed to Michelangelo in Spain . It is the San Juanito de la Capilla del Salvador that arrived in Spain at the hands of Francisco de los Cobos, secretary and Emperor Carlos I, and was shattered in 1936 when the chapel was converted into a garage (in the same attack they also aired an altarpiece by Berruguete). Thirteen years have taken the technicians of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence to reconstruct the piece (of which only 40 percent of the original was preserved and divided into 17 fragments). We will have to wait to see her again in the city, but, without a doubt, it will be worth it.
2) ANDALUSIAN HANUKKA
Another of the great discoveries that have been produced lately in Úbeda is The Synagogue of the water . What is believed to have been a medieval synagogue retains the women's gallery and the Mikbé, a purification bath (especially impressive on the day of the summer solstice). In addition to the visit itself, its intense cultural activity is fantastic. Specifically, on Saturday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m., the Hanukka Festival will be celebrated as marked by Jewish tradition: there will be a Sephardic concert, donuts will be eaten and the children will be given the dreidel game . The best visits to this and other attractions in the city have been made for more than 20 years by the Artificis company.
The Water Synagogue: Andalusian Hanukkah
3) THE SEAS OF OLIVE TREES
Crossing Despeñaperros is always a spectacle that impresses, above all, those who do not live in areas of the Mediterranean basin. In order to get the views of authentic emerald green oceans within the city, go to the viewpoint of San Lorenzo (very close to the place where the Prince of Asturias Antonio Muñoz Molina, from Ubet, used to play in his childhood, and where his family still lives) and the Mirador de San Francisco. You will be able to see the entire horizon of Sierra Mágina and on clear days up to Sierra Nevada . Better at dawn.
The seas of olives
4) THE TAPAS THAT COME IN A PACK WITH THE DRINK
Here, as in other places in Andalusia, the days of the bar that does not offer tapas with each drink (beers from 1.50-1.80, wines from 1.80-2.80) are numbered. In Úbeda the level of quantity, and above all, quality, is difficult to beat. Our favorite places are those of a lifetime like the Zoraida (Cronista Pasquau,s/n), with its scrambled eggs with orza loin from Zoraida and the most innovative such as vintage (Royal Street, 25,) , Print (Plaza del Doctor Quesada, 1) or canteen the station (Cuesta Rodadara, 1), which offer a more elaborate gastronomy and fun variants of local dishes.
5)THE PALACE WITH SPY
Strolling through the historic center, very close to the Casa de las Torres, you will find a small palace with a Renaissance façade that, as well as being impressive, has a very peculiar history. Its about Palace of the Medinilla that, For decades, Mr. Gurt, a CIA spy, lived there with his wife, an eccentric Austrian artist. . During that time, bizarre parties were held there, such as the so-called "funny dinners", attended by ambassadors from the United States and the florinata of high society. Great lovers of gastronomy had one of the best specialized libraries in several languages, a monument to fried potatoes and another to Serrano ham . Today, with Spanish owners, those fun dinners are no longer held, but its romantic garden, among the remains of columns, cypresses and bougainvillea, is rented for private dinners.
The Palace of the Medinilla: a palace with a spy
6) THE OIL CLASSROOM
There are a whopping 65,000,000 olive trees in the province, which means 20 percent of world production. Of this and other data like this they will speak to you in the new Olive Grove and Oil Interpretation Center , located in the old house of the third party. Also if you want to participate in the harvest work, they organize the activity. Other companies with similar offers are Populo de Baeza and Oleicola San Francisco. If you want to try a good oil, one of our favorites is the one from Castillo de Canena, which does nothing but hang medals and is used by many of our best chefs. In addition, he has been able to modernize his image with careful packaging (with labels that a celebrity designs each year: Fernando Alonso, Alejandro Sal, Pau Gasol...), and has managed to position itself in international markets (instead of selling in bulk to Italy, as has happened in many cases) and sign up for organic farming . To make the experience complete, you can visit the Castle (a few kilometers away) and have an olive oil tasting.
Castillo de Canena oils
7) THE EXCURSION TO THE SIERRA
Specifically to that of Cazorla , that is what we propose once you have left no corner to explore in the city. There you can visit the beautiful town of Cazorla, and even walk through the gallery under Plaza Santa María, where the river Cerezuelos passes, or, on the other side of the mountains, get closer to Segura de la sierra, and visit its medieval castle.
The Sierra de Cazorla
8) THE MOST COMFORTING SPOON
There are many things that can be tried here, from cod, to the delicious "lomo de orza" to the ochíos, some Paprika rolls that are super good with baby broad beans and a drizzle of olive oil . For these cold days, the best: a good dish of rags, thin pasta sheets with vegetables, rabbit meat eaten with a spoon. For example, you can try it at the Parador de Úbeda.
9) THE CERAMICS THAT TRIUMPH ALL OVER THE WORLD
At first glance he looks like Rafael Alberti. Almost the same, but the patriarch of the Tito, does not dedicate himself to poetry, although his creations have a lot of art. This artisan who won the National Craft Award in 2006 and 2012 for reinventing his tradition makes the typical green and white ceramics (and its blue and white variant) from Úbeda in his workshop. But we are not only talking about fountains and vessels (that too) but about pieces that whistle by the latest designers and that are exhibited and sold in exhibitions around the world.
Titus pottery
10) UBETENSES AROUND THE WORLD: FROM GUADALUPE TO MUÑOZ MOLINA
In addition to the aforementioned Antonio Muñoz Molina, Prince of Asturias of Literature, the members of the blues group Guadalupe Plata , who has managed to unite southern blues and Úbeda in the same sentence and has just won the RNE Critical Eye award, or the young designer Moisés Nieto , who is already on the biggest catwalks.