Blogger, Ana Ruggieri
Clarkies conquer Córdoba:
Hello readers, parents, and students alike!
On Saturday, May 24th, 2025, Dr. Pitamber and the Clark students on the LEIR summer program trip took on the third-largest city in Andalusia: beautiful Córdoba! Here is a rundown on the main attractions I want to talk about after discussing what exactly we experienced, saw, and learned on this hot and sunny Saturday.
- World Heritage Site: The Caliphal Baths
- Alcazar Andalusi de Córdoba
- Mezquita Cathedral of Córdoba
This day was filled with student presentations from Paulina Allen, Jemma Salisbury, and Kacie Lennon, so I will be talking a bit about each one of those presentations, including the interesting information I learned from them!
Waking up around 8:00 a.m. Ari and I made our way downstairs to start our day by eating breakfast and catching up with the rest of the Clark crew. At around 9:15 a.m., we began our walk to the Sevilla Train Station. The walk took us approximately 30 minutes from our Hotel Inglaterra. While this was a longer walk, it was also an exciting hustle and bustle that you only get to experience on travel trips such as this one.
Once at the train station, we quickly ran our bags through security, checked our train tickets, and hopped on our designated “Coche”, or section of the train. This was the first full day that Sarah Lopolito and her son, Aiden Lopolito, joined us on our adventures. It was so nice to have our full group together finally!
Once off the train, after 4o minutes of riding and a quick power nap, we began our Dr. Pitamber-style walk through of the historic city of Córdoba. First up was the Alcazar Andalusi de Córdoba, which was presented by Paulina. The beautiful gardens and vivacious liveliness of the Alcazar captivated our eyes and hearts with its beautiful butterflies, blooming flowers, cats, orange trees, and so much more. The Alcazar was the perfect oasis to begin our tour of the city.
Next up, we visited the Caliphal Baths of Córdoba, which were a unique functional bath from the 10th century through the 13th century, and encompassed a long and complex history of ancient moments, including killings of political figures inside the bath rooms! The three separate temperature-oriented rooms that were once the place of cleanliness for ancient Andalusian citizens were like portals to an ancient time!
After the baths, we were taken deeper into the city and permitted to roam around, and grab lunch for an hour before heading to the Mezquita-Catedral for our second presentation of the day from Jemma!
Once at the Cathedral around 2:00 p.m., Jemma began their presentation of the magnificently impressive architectural structure of the Cathedral, from its high ceilings to its extensive expansion both right and left throughout a large tiled floor and high arches (Mudejar in style).
The next stop on our tour was the Puente Romano, a large bridge with a view of the river surrounding Córdoba. This was where our third and final presentation of the day was given, by Kacie! The bridge simultaneously marked a path that Ceaser crossed long before the bridge was constructed. The views were monumental and portrayed the landscape of the city from a new angle that I hadn’t seen before. We questioned the architectural history and structure of the bridge, and tried to determine whether or not its name “The Roman Bridge” was fitting, or whether it should be updated to be more accurate to the architectural style of the current bridge.
We then headed back across the bridge for an hour and a half of free time for shopping before our 6:00 p.m. slot to climb to the top of the Bell Tower next to the Cathedral. This was an amazing experience, incomparable to anything I had seen before, except perhaps in the Bell Tower of the Reykjavik Cathedral in Iceland, which I visited last May! The view of Córdoba from the top was glorious and provided a unique vantage point that allowed me to see the city roll from urban to rural mountains! The view honestly made me emotional from its beauty.
Once we finished our hike to the top of the Bell Tower, our day in Córdoba concluded with walking back to the train station and coming back to Sevilla.
Later in the night, around 10:00 p.m. I went out to dinner with Gabby, Grace, and Sophie at this little Tapas and Drinks place! It was a bustling night with lots of civilians and tourists alike moving about the streets of Seville! This day was both an aesthetic and historical learning experience for me, and I was so pleased with the animals, gardens, and views we found ourselves looking at in the city.
I documented a lot of this day, including what I got for lunch and our initial trip to Córdoba through a “vlog” style video, all attached below!
Arabian Horses on the street in Cordoba! They carried people around the city and were beautiful to watch ride by. PC: Ana
This was the altar at the Mezquita Catedral in Cordoba! It contains and includes a sculpture of Jesus Christ on the cross. Paintings with holy imagery behind Christ are also displayed. This was the building where Jemma did their presentation! PC: Ana
This is a structure from the end of the Puente Romano bridge. It shows a former doorway that would have acted as an archer’s standing point, and served as a defensive structure for the city! PC: Ana
The view from the Roman Bridge showcases the Alcazar Mezquita Cathedral. It was so beautiful it nearly took my breath away. PC: Ana
Bridge Views (part two)
PC: Ana
These beautiful festival Sevillian Dresses were worn by women all across Cordoba, signifying the beginning of the Cordoba Fair (Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud). PC: Ana
View from the Bell Tower, showcasing the Andalusian urban beauty of Cordoba.
PC: Ana
View from Tower (part two). This image captures how the urban scene rolls into mountainous views in the background of the city.
PC: Ana
Sophie Mowbray in the Bell Tower!
PC: Ana
Thank you so much, I can not wait for my third and final Blog post in Turkey!!
For more information and travel-related knowledge, check out these sites to plan your visit to Córdoba.