"El Poniente Granadino" lies at the western frontier of "Al-Andalus", the old
Moorish Kingdom of Granada. It is a region of great natural charm, warm, welcoming
people and ancestral traditions.
Bordering with three other provinces, Jaén, Córdoba
and Málaga, it is situated at the heart of Andalucía, an ideal rural idyll
from which to travel to many of the most beautiful areas of Southern Spain: the
fabulous, historic cities of Córdoba, Sevilla and Granada, the high peaks of Sierra
Nevada and the beaches of the Costa Tropical and the Costa del Sol.
Row
upon row of olive trees, the symbol of Andalucía, spread all the way to the horizon
on gentle hills and through green valleys, surrounded by spectacular moon-like,
craggy mountains, their silvery green leaves contrasting beautifully with the
ever-changing, pastel colours of the earth. Here and there, small towns and dusty
villages appear like white jewels in clefts and on rocks, between poplars and
olive trees, along rivers and beside lakes.
Driving west from Granada, the white village of Montefrio, with its
high-towered church, suddenly appears through a gap in the mountains, resembling
a ship sailing across rolling waves of hills covered with low lying, gnarled trees . . . those
trees that produce the green-gold that the whole world desires. Incidently, Montefrio
produces some of the world's best virgin olive oils and part of it is exported
to Italy to be resold on the world market as expensive, top-of-the-range Italian
virgin olive oil!
The
steep streets wind they way up the craggy escarpment, dotted with thickly whitewashed
houses, up to the 16th century church which sits imperiously above the town, built
within the remains of the arab fortress as a symbol of the victory of Christianity
over Islam. Everywhere the views are breathtaking. Perhaps because of its situation,
far removed from conventional tourist venues, or maybe out of the local townsfolk's
inate sense of hospitality, travellers can be sure of a warm welcome here.
From
Montefrio, the road south passes through a canyon of imposing rock formations
to emerge at Milanos, an open area of soft hills and green fields. To the east
the protected area of Las Peña de los Gitanos, "The Cliffs of the Gypsies", is
famous for its many prehistoric tombs scattered in a spectacular landscape of
white cliffs, gorges and meadows.
Hiding
its treasures in the southern part of the Poniente, yet little more than half
an hour from Granada, Alhama de Granada has been suspended in time
on the edge of a spectacular canyon like a nest of eagles, its streets filled
with centuries of history, not to mention the sound of its many fountains.
¡Ay, de mi Alhama ! , Oh! my poor Alhama! From the streets of Granada the
old Moorish King of the famous ballad sighed when his beloved Alhama was lost
to the Christians. The town was lost but its Islamic spirit has remained. The
name "Alhama" comes from the arabic el-hammam, the bath or thermal water. The
beautiful arabic baths a little way out of town are still in use today. In and
around Alhama there is water everywhere. Rivers cutting through deep green gullies
and flooding wide valleys create a stunning contrast to the arid mountains which
surround them.
Driving west of Alhama towards the stark Sierra de Tejada,
on the border of the Málaga mountains, one comes upon the high plain of Zafarraya,
the market garden of the Poniente. There, in the late afternoon when the light
plays on the wheat fields and the limestone walls of the mountains, colours take
over from nature.
Furthest
west in the Poniente, between the foothills of the Sierra de Córdoba which streach
across its northern border and the Sierra de Loja to the south, a vast area of
bare, rocky mountains, there is a landscape of soft wooded hills irrigated by
a multitude of streams. This is the district of Loja, a largely farming district, dotted with white homesteads and white villages nesting among
the hills covered, as always, by a patchwork quilt of olive trees.
El
Poniente Granadino, with its mild climate and fertile soil irrigated by plentiful
water, was first settled in prehistoric times by shepherd tribes of nomadic Iberians.
Phoenicians, Romans and Visigoths subsequently invaded, settled and left their
mark, paving the way for the arrival in the 8th century of the Moors, who for
eight centuries reigned here in splendour and refinement. During the conquest
of the Nazarí Kingdom by the Catholic Kings in the 16th century, the Poniente
was the scene of many battles between Christians and Moors, hence the castles,
fortresses and towers dotted throughout its territory. Traces of Moorish legacy
are evident in the place names of the villages, in their ancestral customs and
in popular sentiment.
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Food here
is varied and wholesome and, in good peasant tradition, helpings are generous.
Try the many ways to cook an asparagus, for example the delicious "gazpacho de
aspárago", a speciality of Montefrío. Enjoy a rainbow trout freshly caught from
the clear waters of the streams of Riofrio or sample the famous sweets made from
ancient Moorish recipes. In Alhama you must taste the traditional pastry made
by the Nuns of the convent of San Diego. And, of course, there are olives, lots
of them . . . and olive oil too!
Andalucía
offers so much: beautiful countryside - from snow-covered mountain ranges to tropical
beaches - and truely great cities too: Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada. El Poniente,
at its heart, is an ideal starting point for visiting the very best of Andalucía.
At the same time, outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy exploring the area on horseback,
by bicycle, canoe or from the air, sail on the Bermejales reservoir or hike in
the surrounding hills. It is also the perfect place for doing nothing much at
all, just absorbing the soft sounds and warm sunshine of the lovely countryside
all around.
