Ibros

Ibros in practice

Drive from Úbeda, it takes twenty minutes. From Jaén, about forty on the A-316. Park on Avenida de Andalucía, near the entrance to the village. It's flat, you walk from there.

You come for one thing: a wall. An Iberian wall from the 2nd century BC, made of cyclopean blocks. It’s sixty metres long and sits in someone’s courtyard, between houses on Calle San Pedro. No gate, no ticket, no opening hours. Just a plaque. It feels out of place, which is the point.

The church of San Pedro y San Pablo is nearby. Square tower, Baroque altarpieces inside. It opens sometimes on Sunday mornings. Other days you need to find who has the key.

Two parts of one village

The old division between El Rey and El Señorío still shows in the street plan. El Rey has straighter lines. El Señorío gets more tangled, with narrower lanes. You cross from one to the other in a few minutes without noticing a sign.

There are no shops for visitors here. A couple of bars, a grocery store. That’s it.

Food and where to stay

Don’t expect restaurants with menus in English. Lunch is simple: a pringá sandwich, a beer. Sometimes you might find cordero a la miel. Don’t count on it.

You don’t stay in Ibros. If you need a bed, go to Úbeda.

Timing your visit

Come in spring or autumn. Summer heat is intense and there's little shade. Winter is very quiet.

If olive oil interests you, ask at the town hall in November about seeing the harvest at a local cooperative. They might show you around.

You see Ibros in under two hours: park, find the wall, walk the two neighbourhoods. Then drive on to Úbeda or Baeza. It doesn't pretend to be more than it is