La Cartuja de Cazalla

This large 15th-century monastery, La Cartuja de Cazalla, is situated in a beautiful, secluded nook of the Sierra Morena, 4km from Cazalla (take the signposted turn-off from the A455 Constantina road, 2.5km from Cazalla). Built on the site of an Islamic mill and mosque (which in turn is said to have been built on a Roman religious site), the monastery fell into ruin in the 19th century. In 1977 it was bought by art lover Carmen Ladrón de Guevara, who is devotedly restoring it, in part as an arts centre and the restored church functions as a concert hall. As well as making a quick tour of the monastery you could also join a course in ceramics, painting and horse riding. A good guest house is part of the project.