Situated on a fertile plain at the foot of the Subbetic Mountains, immersed in a Natural Park, Priego de Córdoba hides in its streets an extensive and important historic and artistic heritage.

The tinkling water of its fountains, the gleaming and humble whitewash of the neighbourhood of La Villa and the exuberant baroque that adorns its temples, constitute the trilogy of beauty with which this ancient city seduces the traveller who is lucky enough to approach it.

The Priego de Córdoba Designation of Origin includes the municipalities of Almedinilla, Fuente Tojar, Carcabuey and Priego de Córdoba, lands which enclose one of the greatest treasures still conserved in rural Spain, and a main ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. The region has been linked to the olive grove since time immemorial: olive oil.

The Protected Designation of Origin (P.D.O.) of Priego de Córdoba exclusively covers extra virgin olive oils made with the Hojiblanca, Picuda and Picual varieties, the first two being the most important. These oils have multiple culinary uses, and are especially indicated for dressing salads, the typical miller’s breakfast, fried food, roasts, baking and confectionary. This liquid gold, thus named for its excellent gastronomic quality and nutritional value, forms an inherent part of the Mediterranean diet. When experts in nutrition began to study the eating habits of the different populations it was confirmed that the food of the countries bordering the Mediterranean, comprising green and root vegetables, pulses, fruits, fish, olive oil and wine, could be the conditioning factor of the reduced levels of cholesterol of their inhabitants when compared with the inhabitants of North America, northern and central Europe. The Mediterranean diet has been seen to be very beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and other pathologies.