Barrio de la Villa and Balcón del Adarve

What it is

The original core of present-day Priego, declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1972. With a medieval and Muslim layout, the Subbética association of municipalities compares it to the Albaicín of Granada or the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba: winding, white, narrow streets, whitewash and stone, flowerpots on every façade and a silence that surprises you two steps from the centre.

It is surrounded by the Adarve, a promenade open above a natural cliff with a steep drop that looks out over the olive groves and the sierras. That cliff was the quarter's defence for centuries. The Junta guide recalls that the area was inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC for its fertile land, its water and the defence of the cliff, and that the present town began as an Arab military camp between the 8th and 9th centuries, later becoming Madinat Baguh. Ferdinand III conquered it in 1225 and Alfonso XI in 1341.

Where to go

Get lost, which is the point, but if you want a thread to follow, the association suggests this one: from Plaza de Santa Ana along Calle Real to the little Plaza de San Antonio, small and secluded; continue along Calle Jazmines and, crossing Calle Real again, come out along the Bajondillo to the Adarve. Walk the promenade along the edge and return to the centre. It is about 45 minutes at an unhurried pace, flat apart from a few short slopes.

It is a quarter where people live: do not enter courtyards or doorways without permission and keep your voice down in the alleys. You can get through with a pushchair, although some streets are very narrow. Dogs may go on a lead.

When

At sunset, when the sun falls over the olive groves from the Adarve, and early in the morning, to see the streets freshly watered and free of groups. In June, the Junta highlights Corpus Christi, which is held on a Thursday and looks especially beautiful in the quarter. It is free and always open.

Around it

The quarter borders the castle and the parish church of the Asunción with its Baroque Sagrario: you can start with them and enter the quarter by Plaza de Santa Ana. Right on Calle Real, at number 63, is Casa Baños de la Villa, with its Arab baths open by reservation to those not staying. The Fuente del Rey is at the other end of the old town, less than a kilometre away.