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Many Muslim settlers remained, converted to Christianity, and became known as Mudéjar, which also describes a style of architecture that is still evident in Andalucia. This is especially true of the remote
Built in the 14th century, Generalife is surrounded by splendid gardens with fountains, pools and promenades. It was the summer residence of the Nasrid kings, and the palace itself consists of two pavilions, connected by a gallery.
upland settlements known the Pueblos Blancos,
the “White Villages”. Nestled among the folds
and ridges of Europe’s last mountains, in the province of Cadiz, the Pueblos have two main gateways: Ronda to the east and Arcos to the west.
as
Arcos de la
Frontera
Just 30km from Jerez,
the city that gave its
name to the aperitif sherry in English, Arcos shares with the former the distinction of having “de la Frontera” added after its name. This shows that both cities were once “on the frontier” – in the front line of the Christian reconquest of southern Spain.
Fields of vines follow the road up the gradually rising hills to what is now a town of 30,000 people. It still retains, at its centre, the atmosphere of a typical village with its steep and narrow cobbled streets, and even medieval stone arches.
However, the full impact of Arcos’ location only becomes obvious on emerging into the Plaza de España where the huge rectangular façade of the Santa Maria de la Asuncion church, with its elaborate mix of European Gothic and Mudéjar styles, is matched by an amazing bird’s eye panorama of the flat plains and the Guadelete River winding far below.
The best of the region’s villages can all be visited on a 200km-long circular route that is worth at the very least two days and can easily be accessed at Ronda from Malaga and other resorts on the nearby Costa del Sol.
Ubrique
Ubrique, the next place clockwise from Arcos, is the hometown of Jesus Janeiro Bazan, known throughout Spain as bullfighter Jesulin de Ubrique who first entered the ring at the tender age of 13.
Built at the foot of a solid block of mountain of the same name, Ubrique is also famed for its leather handicrafts, an industry that was expanded by but began even before the Moors arrived. While the town’s products can be bought in most big city stores, nothing quite matches the experience of wandering into a traditional leather shop, with its distinctive smell, to see the same leather once used to fashion medieval shields and shoes now being made into wallets, handbags, coats and other fashion accessories.
Neighbouring Villages
Among those places that are still villages, Zahara sits high on a dry cliff below a castle stronghold that was one of the last to fall to the Christians in 1483. Named “flower”, the entire village has been declared a “national monument”.
Neighbouring Grazalema is appealing for walks in the mountains and for sauntering through streets of classic white-walled houses. The nearby peaks have the dubious honour of being one of the wettest
Clockwise from above: Benaocaz was one of the first villages founded by the Arabs during their stay in Spain in the 8th century. Its castle is a must-see;
The compound of several villages between Granada and Almeria.
spots in Spain, although that is good news for one of the world’s rarest trees. The pinsapo, a type of pine, managed to make a last stand in the sierra, a living relic of the last Ice Age. Local fauna include various species of eagles and vultures, as well as deer and wild boar that frequently find their way (legally) onto local menus.
Nearly all the White Villages were built in classic defensive positions – at the top of hills. But Setenil is an exception, climbing up from a deep ravine gradually worn out of the rock by the tiny Trejo River. Some of the houses are excavated into the sheer rock face, which also serves as a solid roof.
8 ENDLESS VACATION