In Andalusia, Near Arcos De La Frontera, A Cortijo Centred Around Its Courtyard, With An Olive

In Andalusia, near Arcos de la Frontera, a cortijo centred around its courtyard, with an olive press and olive trees spread over some 10 hectares. In a cortijo, everything begins at the centre. Here, it is the courtyard that sets the tone: the bedrooms and living rooms are arranged around it, much like a village square, sheltered from the sun. A little further on, two detached houses extend this little world. Next come the swimming pool, the stables and the outbuildings, followed by the land: five hectares of olive groves, five of irrigated crops. And in the midst of it all, a mill capable of pressing up to five hundred kilos of olives an hour turns every harvest into an event. Thirteen bedrooms, a reception room, olive oil pressed from its own trees: it takes very little for the cortijo to become once again what it has always been – a place to live, entertain and produce. In a cortijo, everything begins at the centre. Here, it is the courtyard that sets the tone: the bedrooms and living rooms are arranged around it, much like a village square, sheltered from the sun. A little further on, two detached houses extend this little world. Next come the swimming pool, the stables and the outbuildings, followed by the land: five hectares of olive groves, five of irrigated crops. And in the midst of it all, a mill capable of pressing up to five hundred kilos of olives an hour makes every harvest an event. Thirteen bedrooms, a reception room, olive oil pressed from its own trees: it takes very little for the cortijo to become once again what it has always been – a place to live, entertain and produce.