There is always a north to a south. And what for geography is the southern slope of , for the Sevillians is its north. Green, humid and wild, in addition, a huge natural park that occupies 25% of the surface of the Andalusian province, has nothing to do with that other flat, agricultural Seville in the Guadalquivir valley. What abounds here are cork oaks, holm oaks, chestnut trees and oaks. And white towns with a Moorish air such as Constantina, Cazalla de la Sierra or El Pedroso, which have lived for centuries from the interaction with that forest that gives them sustenance as well as a dreamlike landscape.
Renamed last year as , it is one of the largest in Andalusia and has a multitude of natural and cultural attractions. For example, it and the pastures of cork oaks and gall oaks through which it runs. Also historic towns with a Moorish feel, castles, many birds of prey flying through the skies, a charterhouse that is an example of the recovery of lost heritage, vestiges of mining activity and old mills that remind us of the presence of man since ancient times in one of the most mountainous areas. characteristics of Seville.
The largest center of tourist services in the area and a good place to establish a base to explore it is. A place name that transcended regional borders thanks to the product that was the driving force of its economy for centuries: anise. Its fame was so great that taking “a iballa” was equivalent to taking an anise. That boom in wineries and distilleries led to the construction of the large mansions, mansions and churches that adorn the old town between the 16th and 18th centuries. It all revolves around the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza del Concejo, united in a continuous coming and going of people along Real and El Peso streets. In the first of these squares stands the Church of La Consolación, a large temple with a basilica nave that originally rested on the Almohad wall. Several mansions from the 16th to the 19th century and the old Town Hall Houses, now converted into courts, close the perimeter of this square, undoubtedly one of the most stately in the mountains. The intricate and early medieval urbanism appears in the old neighborhood of La Morería, where the labyrinthine alleys and homes of humble mountain architecture re-emerge.
The tradition of wine and spirits in this Sevillian mountain range dates back to ancient times. Here, 20,000 arrobas of red wines were produced annually for export to America. And although there once were more than a dozen distilleries and today only one remains in production, which allows visits. Cazalla anise is still made as it was then: distilling alcohol, water and matalauva over low heat in an alembic. If it is diluted with water and sugar, the sweet Cazalla is obtained – the best known universally – with 36% alcohol content. If it is diluted only with water, the Cazalla comes out dry, with 51% alcohol.
But there are more white towns in the Sierra Norte. For example, , a quiet and pleasant town with many pedestrian streets through which the peaceful life of the mountains passes. Heir to a Roman city called Constantina Julia, from which it also acquired the toponym, it is the gateway to the natural park to the south. It is worth going up to the Morería neighborhood, an old Muslim alfoz, where the typical mountain architecture of low, neatly whitewashed houses has been preserved.
The mining wealth was already exploited from Al-Andalus. There was even a blast furnace foundry until the 19th century. , in the northern area of the park, is a small, quiet town in which the silhouette of Arab origin stands out and, especially, its hexagonal tower built in the 14th century and now surrounded by olive groves, the wealth of the municipality. , the northernmost town in the mountains, grew up at the mercy of silver mines that are now exhausted. This town was named in honor of an island of the same name in the Pacific discovered in 1567 by Pedro Ortega Valencia, a fellow townsman who was on the Mendaña expedition. The famous Battle of Guadalcanal, one of the decisive and bloodiest battles between the Allies and Japanese troops on the Pacific front during World War II, took place on this Pacific island.
In any case, the greatest value of the Sierra Norte and why hundreds of visitors come here is its natural wealth. The cork and holm oak forests are endless and alternate with areas of pasture, that characteristic landscape and exemplary example of balance between the extraction of products and the maintenance of environmental values thanks to the selective felling of the Mediterranean forest, replacing the bushes with grasslands. , but leaving the tree species (cork oak, holm oak and gall oak, mostly) to create a plant cover and protect the soil.
Another of the great attractions is undoubtedly its most famous and visited natural space, especially in summer. The Huéznar River, which originates a few kilometers higher, is enclosed for 14 kilometers in a wonderful gallery forest, one of the best representations of riparian vegetation in the province of Seville, practically disappeared from the banks of the rivers due to the demographic and industrial pressure. An oasis of greenery and humidity thanks to the constant presence of moving water that facilitates the growth of alders, poplars, ash trees, elms and a dense thicket of honeysuckle, reeds, oleanders and mastic trees, among others. Several recreational areas and a couple of campsites They allow access to the forest area and the fresh water pools, which are reached by the road from Cazalla to Constantina, about eight kilometers from the first. Another of the busiest points is near the Martinete recreational area, two kilometers before San Nicolás del Puerto.
The platform and trench of an old mining railway that brought down the material from the Cerro del Hierro exploitation and that ran largely through the interior of that riverside forest, is now the . An infrastructure of about 19 kilometers in length perfect for doing on foot or by bicycle. It starts at the Cazalla-Constantina station, which is accessible by train from Seville, making the route even more affordable and popular. It is a very comfortable route (suitable for all types of public and bicycles), with compacted dirt and asphalt surfaces that offer hardly any unevenness.
And, finally, if you are looking for original accommodation, there is no better place than , two and a half kilometers from the Cazalla exit on the Constantina road. It was one of the four Carthusian monasteries that existed in the province of Seville. The great monastic complex was practically demolished after the Confiscation of Mendizábal in 1836. In 1977 a private initiative recovered it to turn it into an interesting mix of inn and art center, worthy of the 1987 Europa Nostra award. Its dozen rooms allow you to spend the night in full mountain nature, but within a genuine piece of the history of the province of Seville.
