DAY OF THE MEDLAR – SAYALONGA
The locality of Sayalonga, in Málaga province, each year at this time becomes the place to enjoy an exquisite fruit ripe at this season. They are the Nisperos or Medlers, which are grown in great numbers in the district of the Axarquía, in which we find this village. The traditional Day of the Nispero is the first Sunday in May, and is such a colourful and popular fiesta it was declared to be of International Tourist interest in Andalucía. This sweet fruit is offered to the thousands of visitors who go to Sayalonga on this day from different points of Málaga and other provinces. This Málaga province village of narrow and twisty streets, as well as offering us the chance to enjoy a day of fiesta, also wins us with its beautiful landscape which makes us eager to return.

END OF THE 2002 SEASON SIERRA NEVADA
More than 900,000 people have enjoyed the Sierra Nevada ski station in Granada since the season started in the first days of last December. The facilities of the Granada ski station have for another year, been the place chosen by thousands of visitors to enjoy some days in the snow. This Easter has been the best of the last five years, with an occupancy level of 95%, and with 25% more skiers than last year at the same time. This year the Sierra Nevada has offered new chairlifts of four and six seats which have doubled the capacity of the slopes, as well as a hands-free forfait which gives access to all of them just by having it in your pocket. From now we can continue to enjoy the ski station with the numerous cultural, recreational and sporting activities programmed for the summer in this incomparable landscape of the Granada Sierra.

MARBELLA JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Cádiz man Chano Domínguez and the accordion player Richard Galiano, are some of the main attractions of the First Marbella International Jazz Festival, which will be celebrated between the 16th and 18th of May in the Congress hall of this Málaga town, and which will bring together artists from six countries. The festival was born with the intention of increasing the cultural and tourist offer of Marbella and with the intention of becoming an annual event to bring together the most outstanding international jazz artists. This event will be opened on May 16 with the latin group Conexiones lead by the New York pianist Joshua Edelman, followed by the performance of the Richard Galliano Trio – one of the most influential composers of modern pieces. In addition, the nine artists which make up the group Pin Stripe Brass from New Orleans will cover the streets of Marbella playing their music from May 14 – 18.

CÓRDOBA PATIOS 2002
The city of Córdoba in May becomes the city and month of the flowers. After the fiesta of the crosses comes that of the patios, when the Córdoba people decorate them with their best flowers in order to compete for beauty and originality. From May 7 to the 19 the Córdoba people throw themselves into a tradition which is unique in the world. There are many and varied patios. On the one hand some from palaces and convents and on the other those in private homes which the residents care for all year. We do not find two patios the same, although in all of them we can see limestone walls, jasmines, honeysuckle and flowerpots of geraniums and roses which fill these areas with the beauty and aroma of flowers. From the 9th the festival to prize the best of the those among the 50 entrants decorated for the occasion takes place. It's the ideal moment to visit them, although many of them are open year round. Days when we can't miss a visit to Córdoba, a World heritage of mankind city which offers us fiestas full of happiness and colour.

REOPENING OF THE GRANADA CURIA
The building, home to the Ecclesiastical Papal Court in Granada, which dates from the 16th century and was devastated by fire 20 years ago, has reopened its doors after restoration. The reopening comes with a grand exhibition 'Alonso Cano Arte E Iconografía' in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of this Granada artist. The exhibition will offer an integral vision of the life and art of this genial Baroque artist and at the same time reopen the Curia, 20 years after a fire razed the building. In the show we can admire for the first time the seven monumental canvases on the life of the Virgin which shine in the Royal Chapel of the cathedral, at more than 25m height. In total 94 pieces are on show from the ownership of the Church and from other institutions from across the country. Of these 33 are paintings, 25 sculptures, 12 biographical documents on the artist and 20 photographs.

SAN ISIDRO FIESTAS 2002
This month Andalucía celebrates one of its most popular fiestas, that of San Isidro Labrador. From May 10-19 villages in the provinces of Málaga, Córdoba, Huelva or Seville celebrate romeria pilgrimages where the locals are eager to honour the saint. One of these villages is Periana, in Málaga, where on the 14th and 15th of May, its inhabitants will throw some 40,000 kilos of wheat over the statue of San Isidro Labrador, which will be taken in procession for ten hours by the men of the countryside to give thanks for the harvest. 50 youngsters carry the statue on their shoulders during the afternoon and evening. The throne consists of the sculpture and a table where they throw the sacks of wheat. One of the most spectacular moments of the festival, is when some father hands over his son to the bearers so that they place him next to the saint and he touches the head. Other villages, such as Escacena del Campo in Huelva, celebrate the San Isidro romería from May 10-12, Montemayor in Córdoba on the 15th and Montellano in Seville on May 19th.

NATIONAL CASTLE DAY
The castles of Jaén province will, from May 10 celebrate National Castle Day, a cultural and ludic event which includes localities such as Canena, Baños de la Encina, and Jaén city itself. This celebration, organised by the Friends Association of the Castles, includes guided visits to three significant castles of the province, such as that at Baños de la Encina, of Arab origin, considered the oldest in all Europe, the renaissance style of Canena and Santa Catalina in Jaén. National Castle Day will start the events on May 10 with a talk on the medieval fortifications of the High Guadalquivir, to continue with visits to the castles, the town of Baeza and Jaén Cathedral, as well as a gastronomic trip through the different dishes of the traditional cuisine of the district with the celebration of lunches and dinners. The province of Jaén has more than 400 sites with fortifications, lookouts and towers which makes it the area with the highest concentration of fortification sites in all of Europe.

SPORNATURA
Andalucía offers a multitude of activities related to nature and sports tourism. To publicise them and at the same time to contact with the specialised sector, Spornatura has been held in the Granada village of Armilla – the first Andalucian fair for nature and sports tourism. More than 12,000 m2 of exhibition space where sectors such as hunting, fishing, rural tourism, school farms, horse riding, golf and nautical sports were all present. As well as giving a boost to the sports tourism sector, Spornatura, dedicated, with collaboration with the Andalucian Hunting Federation, several activities to hunting. In Andalucía there are more than 100,000 licences of which more than 15,000 are in the province of Granada. The fairground of Santa Juliana in Armilla was the site chosen for the celebration of this sports tourism fair, which has become an indispensable part and complementary activity to rural tourism.