Lucena travel guide

This large town is mostly devoted to the manufacture of wooden furniture; numerous wholesale and retail warehouses are lined along the busy main road. If you’re passing, it’s worth delving into the centre, where the San Mateo church sits on the focal Plaza Nueva. Mostly built in the 15th and 16th centuries in Renaissance and Gothic styles, its outstanding feature is its octagonal Capilla del Sagrario (daily 0730-1330 and 1900-2030, free) which is astounding with its very elaborate Baroque decoration. The masterwork of Leonardo de Castro, who worked on it for more than 30 years in the 18th century, it boasts a profusion of painted plasterwork, with incredibly ornate vegetal scrollwork studded with sculptures of cherubs and saints.

On the adjacent Plaza de España, the town’s tourist office (957-513282, http://www.turlucena.com, Tue-Fri 0900-1400 and 1700-2100 (1800-2200 Jul-Sep), Sat 1100-1400 and 1800-2000 (1900-2100 Jul-Sep), Sun 1100-1400) is housed in the castle, with an ethnographic and archaeological museum. The last Moorish king, Boabdil, was once a prisoner here.

Six kilometres above town is the much-visited Baroque sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Araceli (daily 0900-sunset, free) with lively and colourful wall paintings and fine views over the hills. The sculpture of the Virgin is revered in the province and explains why Araceli is a common Córdoban girl’s name. There’s a bar here that serves food.