The Subbética is a district made up of fourteen white mountain villages in the southern area of the Province of Córdoba, in the heart of Andalusia. This privileged location means that the Costa del Sol and the cities of Córdoba, Granada and Jaén are no more than an hour away,and Seville can be reached in less than two hours.

This area, with its Nature Park and protected areas, its Baroque monuments and archaeological heritage, its crafts and traditions, makes for a visit hard to forget.

Under the name "Natural Park of the Subbetica Range" a beautiful and ecologically rich area can be found.

It has a surface area of 31,568 hectares, irregularly spread over eight municipalities: Cabra, Carcabuey, Doña Mencia, Iznajar, Luque, Priego de Cordoba, Rute and Zuheros. Most of them have the remains of Moorish watchtowers, castles or other antiquities.

The area is well known for its many caves, notably the Cueva de Murcielaga - Bat Cave, near Zuheros where Neothithic paintings and other evidence of prehistoric life, dating back some 35,000 years.

Traces of the Roman period can be found all over Spain and most notably in the village of Almedinilla, where the remains of an extensive villa complex can be seen.

The most characteristic feature of this semi mountainous area is the beautiful limestone formations. The landscape, made up of slopes and elevations overlooks beautiful narrow valleys, especially outstanding is the Cabra mountain range. Its highest peak, known as "El Picacho", reaches a height of 1,217 meters.

The vegetation is typically Mediterranean, with many ordinary and gall oaks, maples and elms. One of the great attractions of the park is the existence of numerous endemic species there are some that flower at different times of the year, such as irises, daffodils, peonies, and orchids. Together with them, there are outstandingly beautiful bushes, as the mastic tree and the wild olive tree.

Especially outstanding amongst wildlife are mammals such as the wild cat, wild boar, common fox, European hedgehog, and most unusual the "Cabrera shrew", which, is to be found here in one of the most southerly locations of the continent.

There is a rich population of birds, namely, the black wheatear, the hoopoe, the bee eater, the cuckoo, the red partridge, the Lapland bunting, and both the common and royal swift. On the flower-covered limestone rocks, the royal eagle, the black vulture, the short-toed eagle as well as the peregrine falcon are worth mentioning. The latter is the emblem of the Natural Park of the Subbetica Mountains. Other birds of prey are the common kestrel, the great horned owl, the barn owl, and the common little owl.

There also exist interesting examples of reptiles like the big-snout adder, and the ocelot lizard and crustaceans such as the European crab, as well as many amphibians as the Iberian ribbed newt, the red-spotted frog, the southern frog or the salamander.

Finally a large variety of butterflies can be seen.

The main objective of this project was the refurbishment of disused old railways so that they could be used for walks, cycling and horse riding  The Subbética area enjoys several signposted walking tracks, accessible on foot, by bike or by a motorised vehicle. You can get to know this Subbética region by practicing bushwalking and by coming across different trails with diverse length and difficulty.

Festivals and events.

If you want to have a real taste of La Subbética region and get to know its people, its traditions, its fiestas, there are all year around events which enhance both our traditional culture and present day cultural expressions. Visitor can always take part in them and get involved, by experiencing the most deep rooted and local regional events.  Easter week in Cabra and Priego have been declared attractions of national interest visitors will remember the magic for a long time to come. Most towns and villages hold their own Easter festivals.

Rute can possibly be the village with the oldest gastronomic tradition in La Subbética region. The town is supported by the high number of family businesses devoted to the food industry.

Apart from olive oil and pork products, the Rute cuisine is complemented by its famous liqueurs, among them the anise-flavored ones, and the Christmas pastry. The traveler can enjoy a taste of all these products and learn everything about them in the different museums, namely, the Ham Museum, the Mantecado( Christmas pastry, a type of crumbly almond cookie) Museum, the Anise liqueur and Mantecado Museum and the Nougat and Marzipan Museum. Other parts of Rutes traditional cuisine are pork rinds, snail stews, sopa de gato ( a type of soup made with pieces of bread, eggs, and grated cheese all mixed together in a cream) and vegetable stew with partridge.

When in Rute it would be remiss not to visit The Association for the Protection of Donkeys which was created in 1989 to work for the preservation and welfare of native Spanish donkey breeds, all of which are in grave danger of extinction.

At the southern edge of the park you will find Hotel El Cortijo La Prensa, a beautiful boutique hotel with 11 superior double rooms and 1 superior junior suite. All rooms on suite some with dressing rooms and balconies or terrace. All rooms contain the normal things you would expect to get in a 4 or 5 star hotel. Safe, hair dryer, bath robes, complimentary toiletries, mini bar, double king size beds with the best Egyptian cotton bedding. All rooms have a/c and under-floor heating, plasma TV with over 500 channels, DVD and CD player. The sitting area has comfortable sofa’s or arm chairs. Fresh flowers and fruit add to the homely atmosphere.

The hotel has lots of terraces, fountains water-ways, Moorish Tower, Roman temple, 10 acres of Olive Grove, rose and lavender walkways, large Romanist pool, with a separate Jacuzzi clothing optional sun bathing area. A fitness room and mountain bikes are available. For those guests who wish to chill out, pamper days can be arranged with qualified Masseur or treat yourself to a facial, manicure or pedicure. The restaurant has a reputation for the unexpected a fusion of traditional Andalucia with the presentation and additions of European cuisine and beyond. Hotel El Cortijo La Prensa is ideally situated for visiting this beautiful and diverse region of Spain.

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