“The sea. The sea. / The sea. Only the sea! / Why did you bring me, father, / to the city?” […]
Only a few verses are necessary to understand Rafael Alberti’s fascination with the bay of Cádiz and, specifically, with El Puerto de Santa María, the city where the poet was born in 1902 and to which he paid tribute during his years away from the sea, his mermaids and underwater gardens. That same attraction that led a young Alberti to escape from school and climb through a grove of trees until he reached the blue of the sea that here, on the Costa de la Luz, was always more mysterious, bewitching.
And El Puerto de Santa María has not lost that charm that we came to look for. The nicknamed City of 100 Palaces evokes a piece of the south crossed by the Guadalete River, on whose banks the disorderly boats rest, the aroma of fried food floats in the air and the port buildings inspire a song of nostalgia, of a certain decadence, as if they spoke from a distance with those Caribbean cities created in the image and likeness of the original ports of their conquerors.
We immerse ourselves in the city where all the roads of the province of Cádiz seem to merge in search of its history, secrets and a moving gastronomy with the sea as a common thread.
Legend has it that, sometime around 1183 BC, the Athenian king Menestheus returned from the Trojan War and found his throne occupied, so he had to emigrate, sailing aimlessly through the waters of the Mediterranean. However, his boat reached a lonely place at the mouth of the Guadalete River that seemed like the perfect enclave to found a city that would be called Puerto de Menesteo.
Over time, Cádiz’s status as a sacred site led to El Puerto de Santa María becoming a lung for sailors, reflected in the beautiful palaces born from the times of prosperity in the Americas and the fortunes of its rich merchants. Although many of these buildings today look disused – and even in a certain ruinous state -, there are icons such as the Villareal and Purullena palace, erected in the 18th century, which today houses the Luis Goytisolo Foundation. A feast of glassware, paintings and sumptuous furniture where even Queen Elizabeth II once stayed.
The walk invites you to sit on a small terrace and drink the obligatory beer before continuing to the Victory Monastery, commissioned to be built at the beginning of the 16th century by the Dukes of Medinaceli on the outskirts of the medieval city. Without a doubt, one of the gems when it comes to knowing the secrets of the ancient Columbian routes between Gothic porticos and cloisters that also housed prisoners during the Civil War.
And we go down to the historic center, where we surround the Blas de Lezo palace house – a legendary admiral who lived in the city – until we reach the House of the Lions, another palace house from the 17th century whose original baroque style takes us back to some time in the past. Then you discover that some of these emblems are today tourist apartments, you return to the present, history integrates and accompanies you, but it never lets go, as confirmed by the Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles, famous for its Door of Forgiveness and the Door of the sun.
When you leave, you are surrounded by verses from the Rafael Alberti Foundation, an oasis for poetry lovers through a typical Andalusian house with whitewashed walls caressed by saltpeter. The breeze propels you, the terraces multiply, and the dogfish is delicious. The gastronomy of the Port enchants and always induces you to experience the simple life before continuing a historical route.
In the castle of San Marcos, a fortress church built in the 12th century, today weddings and events are held, but entry is also allowed to view the Port from the keep, almost from a seagull’s eye view. An icon today owned by the Caballero winery – famous for its punch – that confirms the majestic trail of its legacy.
Although if we talk about drinks, we cannot leave without visiting Bodegas Osborne, founded in 1772 and famous for the advertising campaign in the form of so many bulls guarding the Spanish roads. Here the Sherry wines age in century-old barrels and tasting it becomes the best experience before dropping by the Plaza del Polvorista, around a fountain whose sounds refresh the soul during hot summer days and invite you to immerse yourself in the big blue
Next to the Puerto Sherry marina, La Puntilla beach unfolds, 2 kilometers from the historic center and main cove for the locals. A haven of peace where the light expands, the beach bars serve the crispiest shrimp pancake and the steps of Menesteo take us to Valdelagrana, Santa Catalina, Fuentebravía or Levante, a virgin beach more than 5 kilometers long around the natural park. of the Toruñas.
The seagulls return, drunk with nostalgia. A solitary boat meanders through the mouth, again without catching the sunset but catching the tuna that here evoke a religion of their own. Only then, upon seeing a child next to the grove, do we understand the magic that led Alberti to run away from class.
