This is all true, it is a fact, but I’ve seen this adventure grow from its very beginning and it is different for me, special too, and I would like to share why Viento10 was excellent right from the start; and I’d like to do so by telling you about the restoration process that underwent the building where Viento10 now stands. Córdoba is a two thousand year city and it is full of surprises and hidden treasures. Intervening any of its walls comes with a great deal of responsibility and respect that unfortunately some people lack. It is not the case with Viento10. We were lucky this bit of history found the delicate and nourishing hands of Cinta, Gema, Quino and Gerardo. They sensed that under that shell made out of cheap tiles and odd aluminum doors there laid a diamond. They also assumed that bringing out the diamond would translate into a complex and difficult construction, filled with delays and bureaucracy right from the start.
So they slowly begun removing the shell that had for many decades covered and distorted the building’s past and essence. Slowly the arches and columns of the inner patio arose with their XVth original shapes; back then all the buildings in that street were part of the church of Santiago, the Córdoba headquarter of the Order of the Knights of Santiago. It is very likely that there, from one end of the street to the other, was a hospital property of the Order.
They continued the restoration works and it wasn’t long before they stroke treasure again: in the facade, covered by later Christian constructions, they found a blocked mudejar door that could very well have been part of the Islamic history of the city. And of course restoring that door was very important to Viento10 team as they wanted to offer their future guests the privilege of enjoying the wonders of a patio rich in history.
Now, let’s value the 5 year restoration properly, it was very important for Viento10 team but it was every bit as important for the city itself. Time will go by, we shall perish and perhaps the hotel will disappear, who can tell! But it is safe to say that what these four friends accomplished will last for a long period of time, it shall make a valuable piece of heritage and it shall make Córdoba men and women proud.
It is obvious that this delicate work has enriched the city as it is also obvious that there is little chance of winning five times in a row an Excellence Certificate without the dedication, the perseverance and the love for a job well done that had been –and still are– key to Viento10 success. And I want to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart for this Hall of Fame award that I know for a fact came with plenty of sweat…
Congratulations to the four of you, as a friend, but also as a prouder Córdoba man.
Here I leave you with some pictures I took way back so you can fully appreciate the restoration of Viento10.
Click here if you want to see more of the restoration process.