Montoro

From Bailén head west toward Córdoba. You pass Andújar, with a pretty little plaza dominated by an ochre-colored Gothic church and an arched Roman bridge across the Guadalquivir. You are in the major olive-producing region of Spain now, and drive by continuous symmetrical rows of olive trees (olivos). After passing Villa del Rio, on the left bank of the river, you see the fortified town of Montoro. This was an important stronghold during the Moorish period, and today is a center for olive oil production. The remaining kilometers to Córdoba pass through seemingly endless olive groves.