Calle de las Flores, Córdoba

Calle de las Flores (Street of Flowers) is a short pedestrian alley in the historic centre of Córdoba, Andalusia, located immediately behind the Mezquita-Catedral and running between Calle Céspedes and Calle Magistral González Francés. The street is approximately 40 metres long and entirely whitewashed, its walls hung from ground to rooftop with clay flower pots containing geraniums, bougainvillea, and other flowering plants. The composition creates one of the most instantly recognisable images in Andalusia: looking northward from the far end of the alley, the bell tower of the Mezquita-Catedral is framed precisely in the gap between the opposing white walls, surrounded by cascading flowers. A blue tile sign on the wall reads 'Calleja de las Flores'. The alley is at its best from late April through June when geraniums and bougainvillea are in peak bloom. Córdoba's annual Fiesta de los Patios in May — a UNESCO-listed tradition in which private patio gardens are opened to the public and decorated with massed flower pots — shares the same floral tradition and transforms the entire historic centre. The street is tiny and accommodates very few people at once, making early morning visits before tourist groups arrive from the Mezquita (which opens at 10 AM on weekdays) the optimal strategy. The best photograph — the tower framed in the alley — is taken from the northernmost end, approximately 5 metres from Calle Magistral González Francés.