Book Review - One Year in the World (Andalucía chapter)

So I decided to take the travel book plunge. Fair enough.

The most preparation I have done for any trip was to read travel guides, not travel books. I still have to figure out if a travel book such as One Year in the World by Frances Mayes is targeting people who are about to travel abroad, people who have visited some of the places depicted in the book, or just people who enjoy this type of literature?

I definitely fall in the second category, as I was drawn to this book by the first chapter, on Andalucía. Since during my recent trip to Spain I spent quite a few days in this region, it only seemed fair to start reading it.

Here's the author's itinerary in beautiful Andalucía:
Seville
Italica (first Roman town to be settled in Spain)
Carmona
Ronda
Marbella and Puerto Banus
Antequera – Archidona
Granada (town of Frederico García Lorca and famed Alhambra)
Ubeda
Baeza
Córdoba

After reading this chapter, I wish I had planned my trip more thoroughly. However, Spain is so rich in history, that a 10-day trip is not enough to cover everything. One must focus, pick a theme. I find myself drawn more to the Roman and Moorish heritage of Spain - which means Andalucía and Extremadura would probably be worth exploring in detail. More on how to plan a trip to Spain>>>


I found the chapter extremely informative, and I certainly admire the author's attempt to catch the essence of Andalucía, no matter how hard it is to capture the soul of this region in writing. It made me instantaneously desire to revisit Spain. The second time around I will probably make time to visit the towns of Ronda, Italica, and Granada. The book convinced me.