Museum of Fine Arts of Córdoba

The museum was born in 1844 from the holdings resulting from Mendizábal's disentailment of 1835, on the initiative of Ramón Aguilar Fernández de Córdoba, Luis María Ramírez de las Casas-Deza and Diego Monroy Aguilera.

In 1862 it moved to the building it occupies today, the former Hospital de la Caridad, in Plateresque style, under its first director, the painter Rafael Romero Barros, father of Julio Romero de Torres. The current Renaissance-style layout dates from 1936, and in 1962 the building was declared a historic-artistic monument.

The building itself is worth the visit: it keeps a courtyard with orange trees and a Baroque staircase with an octagonal wooden coffered ceiling.

These are the pieces and spaces not to miss on your visit:

Antonio del Castillo, the great Cordoban painter of the Baroque, is represented in the museum by Calvary of the Inquisition, one of the central pieces of the collection.

Painted by the museum's first director, Rafael Romero Barros, this still life represents 19th-century Cordoban costumbrismo and connects with the later work of his sons, among them Julio Romero de Torres.

The museum's collection of prints exceeds 1,000 pieces and includes examples from the Caprichos and Proverbios series by Francisco de Goya.

The Cordoban sculptor Mateo Inurria has his own work in the museum, within the sculpture holdings that complete the collection of painting and engraving.

Before going round the rooms it is worth pausing in the central courtyard, with orange trees, and at the Baroque staircase with an octagonal wooden coffered ceiling preserved from the former Hospital de la Caridad.

Between 16 September and 15 June, the museum opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00, and Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 15:00. In the summer season, from 16 June to 15 September, the hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 15:00. Closed on Mondays, except on the eve of a public holiday.

The general ticket costs €1.50. It is free for Spanish and European Union citizens with an identity document.

The museum is at Plaza del Potro, 1, about five minutes' walk from the Mosque-Cathedral and the Roman Bridge, within the pedestrian area of the historic centre. It shares the building and courtyards with the Julio Romero de Torres Museum, right opposite.

Plaza del Potro concentrates these two museums in a few metres, as well as the Posada del Potro and the Fosforito Flamenco Centre, so it is worth setting aside at least half a morning to explore the area at leisure before continuing to the Jewish Quarter or the river.