Among oranges

Good cheer, vitamins and plenty of flavour!

In this tour we visit the orange groves of the Guadalquivir Valley in Cordoba, Spain’s second-largest orange-producing region and a place where citrus fruit have been grown for 500 years! These are organic crops that yield healthy and nutritious fruit with lashings of vitamins, and because of the local climate (it is the coldest place for growing citrus fruit in Europe), they produce oranges that are especially flavoursome and aromatic, with an intense colour. And the more colourful they are, the more carotene and antioxidants they contain! They are quintessential oranges – healthy, tasty and sustainable.

During the visit we will relax amid perfumed orange trees while we learn about the organic methods employed on the estate, learn to differentiate between distinct varieties – Cordoba produces 70% of the world’s output of salustiana oranges – and even collect our own oranges, taking great care not to damage the tree.

We can enjoy oranges between October and June because there are many varieties and they ripen at different times. But visiting an orange grove in spring provides an experience that cannot be beaten: orange blossom! The white flowers sprinkle the countryside like snow and the delicate fragrance is overwhelming. It is also the time to enjoy the cadenera orange, a local variety in danger of dying out; known for its abundant juice and delicious flavour, it has been included on the official list of Slow Foods.