| Information about Frigiliana | Surface Area: 40 square kilometres
Population: about 2,300
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Calle Real, 80 (29788).
Telephone: 952 533 002; Fax: 952 533 434
Just seven kilometres north of Nerja is the typical pueblo blanco of Frigiliana which sits high on a mountain ridge overlooking the sea with spectacular panoramic views.
Voted the 'prettiest village in Andalucía' by the Spanish tourism authority, Frigiliana is also important from an historical viewpoint. El Fuerte, the hill that climbs above the village, was the scene of the final bloody defeat of the Moors of La Axarquía in their 1569 rebellion. The hill is topped by scanty remains of a ruined fort from which some of the Moors reputedly threw themselves rather than be killed or captured by the Spanish. It is said that bones and rusted weapons dating from this encounter still lie among the scrub on El Fuerte.
The village is a tangle of narrow cobbled streets lined by whitewashed houses, their wrought-iron balconies filled with planters of brilliant red geraniums. Small plazas provide shady seating while the village bars are popular with visitors who come here to taste the locally produced wine. There are also several excellent shops selling pottery and ceramics, including decorative plates with their distinctive Arab design.
Frigiliana is best explored by foot. There are several buses a day that run from Nerja or, alternatively, leave your car at the car park at the bottom of the hill. Although the village is deservedly on the coach tour circuit, thankfully it hasn't yet succumbed to the demands of mass tourism with innumerable souvenir shops and overpriced bars.
The south slope of the Almijara mountain range takes up a large part of the municipality of Frigiliana and its topography is complex and rich in contrasts.The River Chillar marks the boundary of this municipality and that of Nerja, and its tributary the Higuerón provides, with its so-called Hoces del Río Higuerón (Gorges of the River Higuerón), one of the most striking natural sites in the entire area. It, and the cliffs and gorges of the River Chillar itself, form an incomparably scenic landscape. The terraced market gardens that, at the village, begin their descent toward the coast, between the dazzling white of the houses and the blue Mediterranean in the background, are another feature of an area whose image will remain engraved in the traveller’s memory for a very long time. The historic quarter of Frigiliana, of all those in the entire province, is considered to be one that has best preserved its original Moorish form. Its anarchic street plan-anarchic from the twenty-first century perspective-leads the visitor from one surprise to another: unexpectedly massive architecture, streets, alleys, covered passageways, stairways, plants and flowers in the most unlikely places, a mixture of fragrances from hidden sources, ancient history in new whitewash… And once you leave the intimacy and constriction of its streets, the breadth of a superb landscape above the Eastern Costa del Sol.
How to Get There: Take the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) towards Motril and shortly before Nerja turn onto the MA-105, which leads straight to Frigiliana
Nos encontramos ante uno de los pueblos más bonitos de España, con el casco urbano de estructura de origen árabe más puros de cuantos existen en la provincia de Málaga, y el mejor conservado de Andalucía, según señalan los expertos.
Enclavado en la parte sur de la Sierra de Tejeda, en el Parque Natural de las Sierras de Tejeda y Almijara, está formado por calles estrechas e intrincadas, empedradas y empinadas que en muchos tramos se convierten en escaleras como las que nos llevan al bello Barrio Mudéjar. En este conjunto, sobresalen edificios como la Parroquia de San Antonio, levantada en el siglo XVII sobre una antigua ermita; un Menhir Argárico que data del año 1500 a. de C.; el Palacio Manrique de Lara, conocido como El Ingenio, un edificio renacentista construido con sillares de la antigua Fortaleza de Lizar y que hoy alberca una fábrica de miel de caña; la Ermita del Santo Cristo de la Caña; la Fuente Vieja; los Reales Expósitos; y el Palacio de Aperos.
También encontraremos en su término municipal yacimientos arqueológicos interesantes como los de la Cueva de los Murciélagos, con restos que van desde el neolítico hasta la Edad de Bronce; el ya citado Menhir y la Necrópolis Fenica del Cerrillo de las Sombras, que data del año 800 a. de C.
Los amantes de la artesanía podrán encontrar todo tipo de artículos de cerámica, espadas de vareta de olivo, así como jarapas, colchas, alfombras o tapices; además de aceite de oliva y de los buenos vinos de la tierra. No debemos olvidar que estamos en otros de los municipios que componen la Ruta del Sol y del Vino.
Si hablamos de gastronomía, tendremos que citar, además del vino y el aceite de oliva, recetas como el choto al estilo de Frigiliana, preparado con salsa de almendras; las migas, el ajo colorao, el potaje de coles o las tortillitas de bacalao. Entre los dulces destacan la arropía y las batatillas con miel de caña.
Para vivir el carácter festivo de los frigilianenses, podremos elegir entre diferentes fechas: en enero, las Fiestas Patronales de San Sebastián; en mayo, las Cruces de Mayo; entre mayo y junio, el Concurso de Cante Flamenco Villa de Frigiliana; en junio, la Romería de San Antonio; y en agosto, la Feria de Frigiliana.
Esta villa se encuentra a 56 kilómetros de Málaga y a escasos minutos de Nerja.
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