Baeza Tour Part One

The old town in Baeza is far more compact than in Úbeda, but I've still had to split it into two sections, mainly because of the number of sights involved rather than the distance you'll have to walk. What's more, I'm sure to get complaints that I've missed out this or that building. As with Úbeda, I must underline that this guide is simply a starting point for day-trippers or weekend visitors to get a flavour of the place.

Starting at the Plaza de España, let's take head along the Paseo de la Constitución. The monuments will come later, but here's a chance to sample life in an Andalusian town. This is really the nerve centre of Baeza society. Bars with terraces for a coffee abound under the archways, while the pedestrianised central area is where pensioners stroll and kids play. If you're lucky, the bandstand might even be in use.

The sights begin with the Town Hall (Plateresque), a National Monument which is located down Calle Gaspar Becerra, a street off to the right of the Paseo de la Constitución. Making your way back to the afore-mentioned Paseo, a left turn at the end of it will find you immediately in the Plaza del Pópulo. The most impressive building in the square is the Antiguas Carnicerías (16th century, although it was actually moved brick by brick from its original position in Calle Atarazanas in 1962/63), where the local law courts are now housed.

At a right angle to the Antiguas Carnicerías is the Casa del Pópulo (16th Century, Plateresque), also not to be sniffed at. It is now home to the local tourist office and is thus definitely worth a stop before continuing on our tour by entering the old town via some steps that lead up from the left-hand corner of the square.

Once in the old town I recommend taking Calle Romanones, and it's here that the barrage of monuments really starts as the Antigua Universidad - old university - and the Iglesia de San Juan Evangelista (16th Century), which used to be the university chapel, both come into view. Outstanding examples of Baeza's architectural riches, they're just a taste of what's to come.

From the Antigua Universidad you'll follow straight on down Calle Beato Ávila until we reach the Plaza de Santa Cruz, a gorgeous square where two of Baeza's most prized monuments stand opposite each other. They're highly unusual in style in the context of so much Renaissance architecture, as the Palacio de Jabalquinto is Gothic (although with an inevitable Renaissance touch in the shape of its patio), while the Iglesia de Santa Cruz (late 13th Century) is Romanic, the only one of its kind in Baeza to have remained reasonably intact. There's beautiful architecture wherever you look in this square and it's worth just standing and taking in your surroundings. Few old towns in the whole of Spain can claim to be as intact as in Baeza and the effect is magical as you seem to be transported back in time, not a block of flats in sight!

This is where we'll finish the first part of our tour round Baeza. It's covered less than a mile, but the historical, cultural and architectural content have been huge and need to be digested. You can find a link to the second section here.