El Canal de Patio del Posadero

Matt Cundill  0:01  
You may also like a show about the things you may also like things like as canal, the patio del pasado. I want you to meet Lisa consola. She and her husband Jose on a beautiful hotel in Cordoba, Spain. In fact, on our most recent trip through Spain, it was far and away our favorite. It only has six rooms and it feels like home. Avery and I are also not big on breakfast, but I'm here to tell you that the breakfast is a highlight. Oh, and this hotel also has its own podcast, which serves to put the hotel at the center of the artistic and literary communities of Cordoba. The story of the patio depo set arrow starts at the beginning. With how Lisa met Jose.

Lisa Cazzola  0:48  
I met him in Grenada. I was I was a student. And my flatmate told me there are some friends coming from Catalonia making a round trip. And I know that you like cooking, why don't you cook for everybody? And I say why not? So seven young Catalans arrived. And I was making your gnocchi Italian pasta for everybody. So here it was the last one of the seven with long air larvae or even a guitar and I say Ah, you look so nice. Any he went red? No. Ser you're more nice. So he was like, how would you say? A flash? Big Flash? Flash? Yes. So it was beautiful. So we started cooking together that day, and we are still cooking together?

Matt Cundill  1:43  
Do you remember what you cooked for the first time with him?

Lisa Cazzola  1:45  
It was a result of okay is rice with the pears. It was the first time that I did it. But it was so nice. And I couldn't repeat it anymore. It was trying to make another time the recipe but that was the best moment I think love makes part of the recipe of the cuisine. And that moment was like it was very clear.

Matt Cundill  2:10  
How did the two of you make a decision to start a hotel?

Lisa Cazzola  2:14  
We decided because we wanted to make something together. Okay. I Catherine manager is an interior designer. But in the moment we wanted to make something together and together we have the hospitality in our our hearts. No. So we say why don't you reality there is effects. No, there is a story that seems like an invented story, but it's real. We went in Tuscany you know, I'm Italian. So we went there for holidays with a bicycle. And we finish in Montalcino. Montalcino is a very famous wine region, very good wine. And it was October in October in Italy is the harvest moment. So everything was close. And we are we arriving to an Agriturismo there is like in the countryside where they where they produce the products and they also give you b&b. And the woman openers and they say okay, so it's closed, but you can stay I talked with my husband, of course no Patriarca family, and we stay there that night and they open the doors, they open their wines, the cutter salami, we talk a lot with them, we get a little bit drunk with them. And when we finish in the in the fields, okay, between the grapes, we saw the light, no, you know, the idea, they will take a moment. And they will also fall asleep in the vineyard under the moon. And I went back to the bag and they say the after we say okay, we want to do this. And we had already the house. We wanted to make our family house so we change the project. It was the best moment you know.

Matt Cundill  3:57  
So this is your family house originally in Cordoba and then it evolved into a hotel Yes,

Lisa Cazzola  4:03  
the project was to make a Family House open to artists. It was already like a sort of hospitality project. But then we change it and we say why don't we do what this people do know was not in the countryside. It was in the city. We make a study and we project because I think that you need the audits in Spanish called Cora Fernanda is like the heart punch shock. And you say okay, want to do this, but you also have to make a project with your mind. Everything has to be connected to make a project work. No. And we found that in Cordova there was there were no project like like this. Okay. And it was hard sort of craziness. No people don't. That's incredibly possible all the only was six rooms. We have only six rooms. Matt, what are you know? So we had still the smallest in Cordova. And people thought that we were crazy no because It's not just a business project, you know, it's in English. I love this expression. It's a labor of love.

Matt Cundill  5:06  
Yeah, I wrote down passion project, when I was thinking about how I would try to describe it. But I think that's what I really feel you know about, about the work that you do that is a labor of love. But it's not just hospitality. Well, it is hospitality, but it's the many things that come out of it. So how long has this passion project or labor of love existed for you guys in Cordoba? We

Lisa Cazzola  5:31  
started with 25. It was it 27. So it's nearly 17 years ago, 17. And we started to make a large renovation, because I don't know there. But here in Europe and in Spain, bureaucracy, it's very calm and peaceful, say four years just for to make papers in the historical center of Cordoba, and then four years to make the restoration of this house. It's a 15th century house. So everybody come to protect these kinds of houses, the UNESCO, the town hall, the archaeologist, and even as of course, I'm I told you know, I'm a cultural manager, but I study history of art. So for me, it's important to keep the maintain the these three, and it's nine year that we open. Jose was the designer, well, this place. So they we took a lot of care about all the details. So

Matt Cundill  6:25  
for all those people, though, who said you were crazy to run a hotel based on six rooms? I mean, you must have thought I think these people might be right. Maybe we shouldn't do this. Like I mean, the must have spent a lot of time really wondering if you can really manage with six rooms

Lisa Cazzola  6:40  
that are numbers. In that case, I tell you, yes, it's you have to make a project, you have to be professional noise, you need some some support to make the numbers because in my case, I was not prepared. But then lots lot of work. Because at the beginning of the year, the first two years, were only causing me we were working in this. And suddenly we we saw the light and we say okay, if we keep maintaining this kind of workload, all these hours and all this time in this, we're going to lose our passion for our project, because it was work and work and more work. So we decided to take the first person and we recognized that we one person one little help, we could make more things. So we could improve our our project. We open in new windows. And now we have three years. And we made a lot of things from the accommodation to the gastronomy, events, tastings talks, a lot of presentation of books. It's a very dynamic Valley live project.

Matt Cundill  7:50  
Yeah, it's ongoing. So one of the first things I see when I go in the vast spa

Lisa Cazzola  7:57  
I always needed a little Italian that I

Matt Cundill  8:01  
never feel like there's any lack of Italian in this place. So I may be in the middle of Cordoba but I definitely feel that there's some Italian going on. A lot of people they want to go to Spain and they do Barcelona Madrid and then Oh will be adventurous and go to Seville but tell me and tell everybody why they need to go to court above and not just go for a day because I see a lot of day trips it's not a day trip. So tell us why we need to go for what I say a minimum three days

Lisa Cazzola  8:28  
minimum yes that's right is what we try to explain also in our website okay but it will pissarro.com is where we try to give you all the information even a guide that you can download okay with our newsletter minimum three days because it's it seems small and everybody talk just about the mosque but it is one of the only 16 cities I will say the only city where three religion were living together at the same time No. So you can still feel and you felt you know, in the architecture in the way of living in the in the traditions all these the this fusion no it still fusion even if we it's like six centers that we are a Catholic, let's say only Catholic and for me and also for hosts and all we are like history lovers, we aim astronomical lovers so it's a very complex city. So it's not possible to understand the city in one day you just seen the mosque nothing else was cathedra if you stay here longer, you can also take your time to go slowly to stop to see to observe know people how they talk between each other relationship, how they leave the local festivities or how they keep care to their houses the patios the traditional houses no like this, the courtyards you can feel the way they know the way they share or the life and that which is for me one of the most incredible things i i found the air coming from the northern part of Italy I grew up in in Verona, so yes, of course three days or more? No, there are people, for me cities that are much bigger than this metropolis that you can see perfectly in today's. Because they don't leave you anything else. No, they are not charged with such a lot of emotions in stories like this city, it's very complex to understand.

Matt Cundill  10:19  
You have to really live it and see it to believe it. So I'll tell my story of how I accidentally ran into you. It was the first week of May, and we were booking a trip through through Spain. And unbeknownst to us, Cordoba was the last place we went to go book a hotel. And it was that first week in May, prices were just a little bit higher than what our budget was. But I said, you know, this place looks great. Let's give it a try. And you'll have to explain to everybody what goes on in the first weekend in May, because everybody is outside everybody sort of let loose. It's sort of like the opening and beginning of summer. It's not quite the patio Festival, which which is about a week later, but we went on that weekend. And it was just like you said, you know, everybody in Cordoba very warm, welcoming, open, come on inside and let's, let's all get together in the town square for drinks. Yeah.

Lisa Cazzola  11:07  
That's the reason why you came back the second time. And then a third. And I hope the fourth and the fifth is so fantastic. In general Orlando, Luciano, it's the image. Everybody has a Spain comes from here from the southern part of Spain. Oh, I've been traveling through Spain. And now I can tell my opinion, of course, no, but the the sun, the sunflowers, the blue sky, the White Houses, the Fiesta and the siesta. Everything is you know, even the bullfights are still here. So we keep a lot of traditions.

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Matt Cundill  12:06  
Tell me a little bit about the patio festival? Because I think it's one of the things that tourists know, what is it exactly? How does it work? Okay,

Lisa Cazzola  12:15  
so the party festival began nearly 100 years ago. Okay, so it's a long tradition. It's a way of living Okay. Normally, in in Asia 10 times look like now know that people that were very rich people and very poor people know, the middle class. So it's a creation of the last century. So hearing portable, there was a lot of poorness not in so people were able to have their own house. So they decided to share their houses and in the little space with bedrooms, where they are sharing bedrooms, like with other family, so seven children, that the mummy altogether in a room. And in the patio, there is the open space, the courtyard. And they had normally the toilets, the kitchen, and the laundry, okay is where they share the love life together. So that people who had the opportunity to grow up in patios, they finally had that relation with the other families, like one only family, you know, because I have a friend, for example, and now she's nearly 50. And she grew up in a party like this. So I'm not talking about three centuries ago, it's still a reality nowadays, or in the last generation, because nowadays probably change the things that people grew up with a neighbor like the aunt or the grind, you know. And for this friend, for example, her neighbor was the Aunt Annie. She treated her like a family. Totally. The party festival began for this reason, because normally the neighbors were like, in a competition No, between one neighbor and the other. My flower is better than yours, and your flower is better than mine. So the town will recognize this, this tradition and they started to make it this festival where the winner the three first winners first, second, and third get money to maintain the parties. So the first year is a little bit difficult to maintain the festival but then it started to be like a program expected in the year and Okay, now now I'm preparing everything for the party Festival. It's I'm proud of my place. It's very difficult to keep apart your life because you need time for the flowers for the plants mostly for the flowers. I don't remember exactly why I think nearly 20 years ago, the UNESCO recognized the festival as human heritage. Okay, so from that moment, the festival started to be more much more important. Okay. The party festival just closed last. Last Sunday. We had I don't know how, how many visitors but every year we have more and more and more and the houses snack can participate to this festival are only private houses. That's really the important part of these because it's not commercial. No, the private person, the drainie normally are like older people that can take half the time to take care of well, this patio, open their doors. So you go inside your, their house, to see the plants they decided to put in the bed, how they keep the you can talk to them to the to the owner, everything is totally free. And the patio who can participate, they have to ask to participate. And they are selected from a team of architects, botanist, flower, a flower is more. So it's it's not just just the game? No, it's something serious. And they can this gift to the city the opportunity to keep maintain the tradition. Okay, I talked a lot.

Matt Cundill  15:57  
It's okay. And I think one of the things I really liked about staying with you guys is that it's like living in a home. And it feels that way. I was unaware of how old the home was that it dates back all that time. But I think one of the things I'm really, really happy about is the fact that you have managed to integrate, you know, the love of art, which is originally what you wanted to do. And you're doing it through a podcast. So why did you want to start a podcast? You're

Lisa Cazzola  16:26  
talking about mind? Oh, no, these I want to tell that I'm very excited to talk with the king of podcasts. I was I was so proud of these. i It's so the morning that I'm saying this this afternoon, I'm going to have a podcast with the king of podcast. So I started with a podcast because one of our aims in our in our job is to create connections. So a podcast is the way to create connections with local people. No, we local artists, with local interesting people. So I started to make interviews to Chef basically we are usually we have a big connection with with gastronomy, with the sumiya wine experts, with artists, with archaeologist with all the people that I think have something to tell, and normally everybody has something to tell. And so I dedicate site like a little while to study the person and their biography and then I talk with them like you are doing then I like a very comfortable conversation. Nothing so technical. No, because I think the best way to, to communicate with people is to speak it there your language. Not too technical.

Matt Cundill  17:48  
I love that. I think there's also a local component to what you do. Yes, there are tourists who come to see you. Yes, there are tourists who come to stay. But you're very involved in the local community. Obviously, you're raising a family there. But also people can come and eat your food. You got a restaurant going? Yes,

Lisa Cazzola  18:06  
we have always done brunch at my breakfast and brunch. In fact, we were the first one proposing brunch in Cordoba nine years ago when we open, but then it's few months that we are making lunch and dinners, you know, early dinners, the one you taste last time you came. And we also always try to to offer the best local product always with my little Italian or Italian, Dutch. So I make my tiramisu, my lasagna, or my lemon geladeira is just, I prepared. This was just finished yesterday. So I opened the first bottle. It's very good. So yes, we are always giving importance to let's say not only gastronomy and hospitality, but all the experience. No, because I don't sell rooms. I don't sell breakfast. For me. I tried to make you discover what I discovered here. No, when I arrived. So it's everything is culture, its gastronomy, its hospitality is everything. So everything is experience and experience. Yeah,

Matt Cundill  19:09  
I love that. I do have a question just about doing and running a hotel and how it how it's changed. So how has like the internet and online booking affected the way you do business? Do you look at it as a bit of a burden like the online booking component? Or do you look at it as a bit of a blessing. We

Lisa Cazzola  19:28  
meet the online bookings there are two types different types. We have the director of online bookings excuse me that are the our favorite course. Or they're the the authors are called know that so the like page like booking.com, Expedia hotels.com, or whatever. They help us to reach our perfect guests, let's say so they give us the visibility that we are not able to reach ourselves because we're very, very small. And there are also some, let's say well Have beats that are very, very nice to stay in. Because they give us the label of quality, no jealousy, it's one month, one month ago, more or less, we enter in the Michelin Guide selection of little hotels. So for us is like very important because they are giving us the pleasure to stay in a group of quality. No and it's what we're always looking for now because there are many accommodation but not all the accommodation of the same quality.

Matt Cundill  20:28  
So we discovered you through Expedia so for all the terrible things that we can say about you know, okay those are like a third party Booker, we did discover you through there so I think that's one of the nice things that it does offer is is a degree of of marketing

Lisa Cazzola  20:41  
yes and that there is a way we want to keep to keep staying in all the platforms even if some of them are better than others because as you say, you know we we came through you through through that platform but maybe if we were no there probably i We're not here in this moment. Tell

Matt Cundill  21:01  
me what months do you take off because I know quarterback can be hot in the summer it's not an all year round of things. Sometimes you take a couple months off at all to any breaks break.

Lisa Cazzola  21:11  
What's the break? You knock on Fusco? How do you say kung fu kung fu Thea conference computers go fulfill its Confucius says that if you choose a work that you really love, you will never work in your life so I'm never working so I never think I'm always I always have no but no Cordoba it's a city is a cultural city so in reality with we don't need to close because there is not really such a low season that we have to close. We decide to close just today's a year the 24th and 25th Excuse me of December because it's Christmas time and as all our our staff as family we decided to stay okay yeah, Christmas for everybody. Two days off. And that's all then we turn the week we make doors. Lisa

Matt Cundill  22:07  
thanks so much for doing this look forward to hopefully seeing you again in the future and I'd love the idea that you've managed to take a podcast and and marry your your passion for art into the into the entire passion project of the hotel. Congratulations.

Lisa Cazzola  22:20  
Thank you very much for calling me and give you give me the pleasure to stay here with you.

Matt Cundill  22:27  
My thanks to Lisa for joining me and to Jose as well for the excellent hospitality they showed Avery and I last month, you can subscribe to their Spanish language podcast on Apple Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you're headed to Spain do not skip Cordoba and do not skip the patio double set arrow. This episode was produced by Evan Stravinsky and edited by Aidan classy video production by Christie Pritchard, and it's put together with love by everyone at the soundoff media company.