The 12 patios of the Viana Palace

How many patios does the Viana Palace have?

Twelve patios and a garden, all on one signposted route on the ground floor.

Here is the full list, roughly in the order the route takes you.

What is the Patio de Recibo?

The entrance patio, with sixteen Tuscan columns and a date palm planted in 1930.

It was the reception courtyard, where carriages came in. The stables off it held 26 mangers for 16 horses, and an 18th-century wedding carriage painted by Vicente López is kept here. Photos are not allowed in the stables.

Which are the oldest patios?

Archivo, Naranjos and Rejas, part of the 15th-century core of the palace.

The Patio de los Naranjos was the original entrance. It is packed with orange trees around a pool, with water lilies and wisteria. The Patio de las Rejas takes its name from the iron grilles made by Bartolomé de los Reyes in 1624, a show of the family's status. Look for the citrus trained flat against the walls and the pots of centaurea around its fountain.

The Patio del Archivo sits between them, on the land of the houses bought in 1425.

What is in the Patio de la Madama and the Patio de los Gatos?

The Madama has the palace's most famous fountain, a classical naiad; the Gatos is a humble neighbours' patio.

The Patio de la Madama took its look in the 18th century, and the cypresses around the naiad were added in the early 1900s. Mandarins, violets and bougainvillea fill the beds.

The Patio de los Gatos started as medieval rented housing, bought in 1545, and later served the kitchens. The name comes from the cats drawn in by the smell of cooking. It's the patio that looks most like the ones you queue for in San Basilio.

Which patios came with the 1814 expansion?

Capilla, Alberca, Pozo, Jardineros and Cancela, from the houses of the Torres Cabrera family next door.

• Capilla: the coolest patio, with few flowers. Next door hang paintings of San Rafael and San Miguel by Valdés Leal.
• Alberca: once a farm office, with a greenhouse from 1960 and a pool moved here in 1980.
• Pozo: its well supplied the whole palace. Find the grey marble mask inscribed "Fuente de Doña Leonor".
• Jardineros: the gardeners' yard, with archaeological fragments and a 1926 tile recording a royal visit by Alfonso XIII.
• Cancela: the old carriage gate, with a 2nd-century marble of Hercules fighting the Nemean lion and a baptismal font used as a fountain.

What is the Patio de las Columnas?

The newest and largest patio, laid out in the 1980s for concerts and events after the palace opened to the public.

The designers chose myrtle for the hedges instead of box, because myrtle grows wild in the Sierra de Córdoba. Arcades on every side, a tall palm and beds of red flowers make it the most photographed spot in the palace.

Want time for photos in the Columnas? The self-guided ticket lets you stay until closing.

★ 4.4 · Self-guided · from $10

Explore the patios and garden ticket → Tour details

What is in the garden?

About 1,200 m2 of formal French parterres edged in box, plus a holm oak reckoned to be more than 400 years old.

Sixteen parterres frame mandarins, a magnolia, oleanders, pomegranates and roses. The holm oak is about 25 metres tall. One reviewer summed it up: "Beautiful gardens with orange trees, fountains, flower walls & pots and ornate courtyards, 1-2 hours walk through. Absolutely worth it".

What route should you take, and how long does it need?

Follow the signs from the Patio de Recibo; the full loop takes 1 to 1.5 hours at an easy pace.

Go straight to the Columnas and the garden first if you arrive at opening: they fill fastest. Keep the Rejas and the Madama for later, when the light is softer. Recent guests mention irrigation work in one central patio, so check for works. Best months and hours are in the best time to visit.

Frequently asked questions