Joaquin Sabina from Ubeda, Spain

Joaquín Sabina, meanwhile, is a renowned singer-songwriter and sometime poet who also comes from Úbeda. He was an important cultural figure during the years that followed Spain’s transition to democracy and his songs form something of a soundtrack to social change in the country.

Antonio Muñoz Molina, a novelist from Ubeda, Spain

Ubeda's most famous literary connections are perhaps more contemporary. The well-known novelist, Antonio Muñoz Molina, hails from the town. Much of his work is explicitly or implicitly set there and creates fictional versions of his childhood and early life in Ubeda. 

Antonio Machado in Baeza, Spain

Baeza will be forever related with the name of the poet Antonio Machado, who lived there for seven years between 1912 and 1919. The town’s international summer school is named after him and the locals are justly proud that Baeza should figure in some of his most famous poems, as in the following example:

“De la ciudad moruna
Tras las murallas viejas
Yo contemplo la tarde silenciosa
A solas con mi sombra y con mi pena.
El río va corriendo
Entre sombrías huertas
Y grises olivares,
Por los alegres campos de Baeza.”

In reality, his relationship with the town was somewhat tortuous, as is hinted at in this poem. Having moved to Baeza after the death of his wife, he associated its small-town atmosphere and agricultural surroundings with his grief. However, it can also be argued that these very surroundings spurred his creativity on, his literary output in this period being excellent.

Behind Baeza Cathedral

Behind the cathedral is another Baeza that many tourists don’t reach yet is a real discovery and a great way to end your walk after such a glut of monuments. Cobbled lanes are flanked by dry stone walls that find themselves overhung by palm trees. Few cars disturb a lovely and surprisingly shady stroll that ends up with a lovely view down over hills and endless olive groves. 

Behind Baeza Cathedral

Baeza Cathedral, Baeza Spain

Baeza Cathedral (16^th Century, Renaissance) is a National Monument and is more than worth a closer look, as can be seen in the photo below:

Baeza Cathedral

Fuente de Santa Maria, Baeza, Spain.

The Plaza de Santa María is another square that seems frozen in time, but is far larger than the Plaza de Santa Cruz. All its surroundings are completely in tune, without any concrete at all to strike a duff note. The old seminary is on the right as you enter, while  the Casas Consistoriales Altas are on the right. A Gothic complex, this currently houses the local music college. As you cross the square, you'll walk  past the 16^th Century Fuente de Santa María.

Fuente de Santa Maria, Baeza, Spain

Seminario Conciliar de San Felipe Neri, Baeza, Spain

The Seminario Conciliar de San Felipe Neri (old seminary) is a huge 17^th/18^th Century building that runs along the right-hand side of the street of the same name. It was restored in 1990 and is now the hub for many courses in the Universidad de Verano “Antonio Machado” (the Antonio Machado Summer School). The inner patio is cool and inviting in the summer.  Students graft in the classrooms that lead onto it, kept well away from the heat outside. The seminary had a chapel that can be viewed from Calle S.Felipe Neri, while the old seminary’s Baroque main frontage can be viewed from the Plaza de Santa María at the end of the street.

 Seminario Conciliar de San Felipe Neri