The Jewish Quarter and the patios

The lanes around the Mezquita are the whitest in Andalusia and the most heavily planted — geraniums and jasmine in blue pots covering entire walls. The Calleja de las Flores narrows to barely a metre and frames the cathedral tower at the end of it, which is the photograph Córdoba is known for.

The patios themselves are the real thing. Private courtyards behind ordinary front doors, planted floor to roofline, and for two weeks in early May a large number of them open to visitors for the Fiesta de los Patios. It is, without much competition, the best fortnight of the year for photographs in this city.

Outside those two weeks a handful stay open year-round and the lanes are still worth the trip.