Stroll around the flower laden, villages of Andalucia © Michelle Chaplow |
|
There's a warm welcome waiting in Andalucian inland villages. |
|
Villages & Small Town of Andalucia
The whitewashed villages of Andalucia are impressive historical monuments in themselves, and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers.
Many of the villages near the coast have become fashionable resorts, while still conserving their ancient charm, whereas others, lost in the highlands of Andalucia, remain rough and ready olive-farming towns, with a special appeal for the adventurous travellers.
Most Andalucian towns began as fortresses, which stood along the ever-fluctuating frontier between the Christian and Moorish realms, as is apparent in the names of such towns as "Jerez de la Frontera", "Arcos de la Frontera", "Morón de la Frontera"... Over the centuries, many have developed into thriving agricultural centres producing olive oil, fruit and vegetables and goat's milk.
Read the highlights of Villages & Small Towns of the eight provinces of Andalucia
Almeria
Like neighbouring Granada, Almeria province is famous for its troglodytic villages, where many homes are dug out of soft sand-coloured cliffs. More >
Cadiz
The ancient sea ports of the Cadiz coast were first developed by the Phoenicians, Greeks and the Romans. Many of these fishing towns and villages still have fleets in operation today. More >
Cordoba
In the Sierra Morena north of Cordoba city is a wild mountainous landscape where deer and wild boar roam the pine and oak forests.
More >
Granada
Augmented by excellent crop irrigation from the snowmelt of the Sierra Nevada, this tropical climate creates the perfect growing conditions for sugar cane, avocados and fruit. More >
Huelva
Part of the rugged Sierra Morena mountain range, the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche is a protected natural park of extensive woodland dotted with small whitewashed villages. More >
Jaen
The town has a Roman bridge with 15 arches spanning the muddy waters, and like so many towns of the region, is overlooked by the ruins of a mightly Moorish fortress. More >