Costa de la Luz

Sanlucar de Barrameda

Refreshing evening breezes blow in from North Africa, the coastline of which is visible from the southern peninsula. With over 300 days of sunshine per year, the climate would best be described as North African.

In August, the maximum daytime temperature is 30°C, whilst in January it is a mild 17°C.

A dignified land with a rich heritage of castles, culture and superb food and wines, this diverse, undiscovered area is probably one of the best kept secrets in Spain.

The real Costa de la Luz is an unspoilt secret, known only to the Spanish people and the occasional discerning foreign resident or visitor.

Sanlucar de Barrameda

Situated at the northern tip of the sherry triangle, 8km from Chipiona, the delightful small town of Sanlucar de Barrameda is flanked by the Guadalquivir estuary. The speciality tipple here is the distinctive manzanilla wine, which aquires its dry, slightly salty tang from the seaside environment and moist poniente wind. The town is equally famed for its excellent seafood, for which manzanilla is the ideal accompaniment.

The town dates back to Roman times but much later the Moors built a defensive fort here which evolved into a major port under the Catholics. Colombus set sail from Sanlúcar in 1498 and a few decades later, the Portuguese, Ferdinand Magallan set off to circumnavigate the globe from here. In search of a westerly route to the spice islands of Indonesia. Unfortunately, he was killed by local Indians in the Philippines. Today the town is divided into the older quarter, the barrio Alto where most of the interesting sights can be seen and the newer Barrio Bajo, closer to the river. The Sanlucar beaches are also magnificent and stretch several kilometres to the south-west, while the former port and fishing quarter, the Bajo de Guia is unsurprisingly where some of the best seafood restaurants can be found.

You can also catch the ferry from Playa Bajo de Guia over the river to the Parque Nacional de Donana. This is a spectacle in the days leading up to Rocio when the pilgrims cross the river with their horses, at the end of the tree-lined Calzada del Ejercito.

Town Center

The heart of the old town is Plaza del Cabildo, a delightful, palm-fringed square lined with bars and restaurants. Just north is the Plaza de San Roque where the daily market is held. Nearby is the 15th century Iglesia de la Trinidad with its magnificent Mudejar ceiling. Carry on uphill and you reach the neo-Mudejar Palacio de Orleans y Borbon, now the ayuntamiento with its flamboyant neo-Mudejar architecture and public library in the gardens. In the same area is the exquisite Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la O, in the small Plaza de la Paz.

This church dates back to the 13th century but the doorway is pure 16th century Mudejar depicting lions bearing coats of arms. This church also has an unusual three-tier belfry from where there are magnificent views of the town. Adjoining the church is the gracious Palacio de los Duques de Medina Sidonia, the former home of the aristocratic family who once owned the majority of Spain. The Duchess of Medina Sidonia, a descendant of the notorious Guzman El Bueno of Tarifa, still lives here, better known as the “Red Duchess” as a result of her forthright political views.

Another interesting church in Sanlucar is the Iglesia San Francisco which was built by Henry VIII of England as a hospital for British sailors while he was married to Catherine of Aragon. A short distance away is the quirky Museo del Mar Las Caracolas with an exhibition comprising of objects retrieved from the sea and beach. The town’s ruined castle is currently closed for restoration works and stands amidst the buildings of the Barbadillo sherry company. This is the town’s largest sherry firm and there are weekly tours every Thursday, taking place at noon. The bodega produces four varieyies of sherry – a fino, olorosa, pasada and solear muy vieja, plus an excellent table wine.

Horse Racing

Sanlucar is also noted for its horse racing which dates back to 1845 and takes place along an 1800m stretch of beach at the mouth of the Rio Guadalquivir during the month of August, daily from 6:00pm, on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month (Thursday to Sunday). This is a thrilling spectacle where real racehorses thunder across the sand watched by a large noisy crowd of spectators. There is nothing amateur about this event and you can expect to see spectator stands, bookmakers, paddocks and of course the winners enclosure. Now an international event with horses from other European countries taking part and many famous names amongst the spectators. This is a serious competition as the total prize money in 2001 was 2.5m Euros. Most of the prize money is awarded during the last weekend.

Another important festival for the town is the Feria de la Manzanilla in early June which leads up to the Noches de Bajo de Guia flamenco season, classical and jazz festivals and the occasional top rate concert.

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