Andalusia

Andalusia is the result of an extensive cultural history that goes all the way back to thousands of years ago. The richest civilisations in antiquity have settled here: Tartessians, Iberians, Phoenicians, Celts, Carthaginians, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs… All these peoples left their mark here, which means that Andalusia can pride itself on an unparalleled cultural, human and economic richness.

Add to this a benign climate, wonderful beaches and mountain ranges for skiing and mountaineering, etc. It is thanks to this climate and to the culture inherited over the centuries that Andalusian products have been and still remain world famous. All countries have surrendered to the excellences of its oils, wines and hams…

Jaén

Jaén is the province that acts as a bridge between Andalusia and the rest of the peninsula. This strategic enclave has marked its long history: from the Romans to the Arabs, Jaén has been the key point for trade and combat. It is for this reason that Jaén is full of fortifications and splendid castles.

Jaén has a highly varied orography (countryside, mountain, hill…), four natural parks and two cities, Úbeda and Baeza, both of which have been declared a Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO. But that what is most noteworthy about the province of Jaén is its landscape.

The landscape, which vividly impresses those visiting the province for the very first time, is dominated by seemingly endless cultivation lines. The sea of olive trees that stretches all over the territory has led to the way of life of its people. Cultural and economic activity is directly or indirectly linked to oil. It is for this reason that Jaén is the first producer of “liquid gold” all over the world.

Canena

Canena is a small village of 2,132 inhabitants that is located at km 136 of the CN-322 road, is 50 km away from the capital, Jaén, 9 from Úbeda and Baeza, and 17 from Linares. Due to its situation, it is known as the Puerta de la Loma (Door of The Hillock), a district with a great olive tradition.

The name of Canena stems from the Arab tribe of the banu Kinina, one of the tribes that entered Al-Andalus at the time of the conquest. The town fell into the hands of Ferdinand III at the same time as the rest of the region, circa 1226.

At the end of the fifteenth century Sancho de Benavides took over control of Canena in the midst of his dispute over the Calatrava de Canena, and the construction of a castle was begun, without royal permission and with subsequent complaints from Baeza to the Catholic Kings, who had prohibited the erection of new fortresses in the territory in order to put an end to the fights between the different nobility groups.

In the year 1538, don Francisco de los Cobos, secretary to emperor Charles V and a great sponsor of the renaissance in Úbeda and its district, bought the village of Canena. The town became part of an extensive Dominion which, after his death, was governed by his wife and descendants, the marquises of Camarasa. In Canena, this great sponsor bequeathed one of his greatest construction undertakings, the transformation of the castle into a magnificent palace, whose design and supervision fell into the hands of Andrés de Vandelvira.