Granada, Jewel of Al-Andalus

Unknown, unexpected…wonderful Granada. A fine weekend, but even a whole month wouldn't be wasted. A city dominated over the long course of its history for fully 700 years by the Muslims and their immense cultural wealth. In the last 500 years it's been Christianity and its well-known baggage that formed the backdrop to the thousand events, important or not, that followed one another among the narrow streets climbing towards the majestic Sierra Nevada… I never know exactly what to expect when I reach a place, wherever it may be, for the first time. And it's one of the finest sensations for me when, once again, the tangle of magic created by nature and by man manages to capture me in the way this Andalusian city did. Here man's work is master of all. And it's impossible not to be dazzled by the architectural and historical marvels the city possesses.

The Albaycín quarter, the historic district from the era of Arab rule, enchants as you wind through its alleys climbing the hill on which it's built, among fairy-tale villas and white houses. And then how could you miss the sunset and the view from the S. Nicolás esplanade, from which the spectacle with the Alhambra as its backdrop is among the finest I've had the fortune to witness… The Alhambra: city, fortress, palace of the caliphs and residence of the Spanish kings… The whole complex, and in particular the Generalife and the Nasrid palaces, are of an architectural refinement without equal. Having had the opportunity to visit far larger royal complexes of Muslim stamp, Topkapi in Istanbul first of all, I thought I couldn't expect much from Granada…but, even if smaller in size, the Alhambra is a true artistic marvel of the very first rank.

With nothing to envy in far more renowned European cities. The Christian part then, built mostly in the period of the Spanish Reconquista, in which the Baroque cathedral stands out, completes the splendid setting of this enchanting city. If you then add the low prices, the exceptional food and cuisine and, having lived for more than four years now among the Catalans and their "alternative", not very typically Spanish culture, the warmth and friendliness of the Andalusians, you can't help but think of Granada as your next destination.