Flamenco

The essence of Spain’s most internationally-renowned art-form

This undoubtedly constitutes our most culturally unique, most artistic and most passionate offering, one that will lay bare the soul of flamenco in all its facets. And it is also the most intimate, because flamenco in Cordoba expresses itself in the same way that so many aspects of our idiosyncrasy express themselves: in the intimacy of a secluded setting and in such an authentic way that it can be difficult for travellers to know where to find it. This is what makes our flamenco experience both gratifying and surprising: because you won’t find it in the guidebooks, because our guides will be the practitioners of flamenco themselves, who will show us how to stamp our heels, pluck the strings and rap our knuckles. Above all we will witness an art-form, one that cannot be explained but must be experienced at first hand.

The five-star introduction to flamenco will consist of a visit to the Fosforito Flamenco Centre, housed in the 15th-century Posada del Potro (a former inn), which serves as a homage to the Cordoba flamenco singer Antonio Fernández Díaz, known as “Fosforito”. Purists and beginners alike will enjoy this revealing testament to the art of flamenco. We will discover the skilled hands that make the flamenco guitars produced in Cordoba – a renowned centre for guitar-making – prior to being exported all over the world. We’ll visit a workshop where the spectacular costumes worn by flamenco dancers are made and feature every year in flamenco fashion shows. And of course we’ll witness our own flamenco performance in an intimate setting – the better to savour it in all its drama – where music and silence will take it in turns to keep us spellbound.

Cordoba has been, from the beginnings of flamenco and remains right up to the present day, the birthplace of first-rate practitioners. Singers such as Fosforito and El Pele, dancers such as Blanca del Rey and Joaquín Cortés and masters of the guitar like Paco Peña and Vicente Amigo are a mere sample of some of the stars that have emanated from this region. Cordoba is also a magnet for lovers of well-made guitars, with such renowned instrument makers as Peña and Maldonado. And we continue sharing this art-form in such annual tributes to flamenco as the Guitar Festival and the Noche Blanca (White Night), which attract thousands of flamenco enthusiasts to the city every year.