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Pizarra AREA: 64,10 km² ALTITUDE
ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 79 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 540 l/m²
The municipal district of Pizarra is situated in the Guadalhorce valley region, between Alora and Cártama. Its lands are crossed from north to south by the Guadalhorce river and offers a varied landscape in which the Sierra del Hacho and the fertile plain which covers the bottom of the valley stand out. The Hacho mountain (447 m.), on the slope which faces Pizarra, offers a singular landscape of sandy rocks which is spectacular in some of the forms the rocks present on the peak. The fertile plain brings the greenery and leafiness of its orange trees and other fruit trees which share the rivers banks with eucalyptus woods to the surroundings. On the western half of the district, the new sprinklers in the Guadalhorce have transformed the small hills and undualting terrains into terraces where citric fruits, subtropical crops and other fruits are cultivated, completing and emphasizing the traditional plotted landscape. In the rest of the municipality, the dominant crops are olives and cereals. Although the area must have been inhabited in the Roman era, the first time its name appears is at the end of the 15th century, when the Catholic Kings ceded 159 acres of land from "Pizarra place" to Don Pedro Romero, in recognition for having conquered Alora.
The parish church of San Pedro is interesting, with a three-bodied brick tower. The Palace of the Counts of Puerto Hermoso gives the town a stately atmosphere, although as it is private, it is not open to the public. The chapel of Our Lady of Fuensanta is excavated in a rock, and was adapted as such in the 18th century. It has a series of baroque plasterwork which is especially interesting. It is also worth mentioning the archaeological sites found in the areas known as Castillejos de Quintana and Hacho de Pizarra. The Town Hall in Pizarra has recently built a Municipal Museum where the majority of the work of art on exhibition are from the collection of the painter Gino Hollander.
There are no outstanding local handicrafts, although there are works in ceramics and cane. There are also home-made cold meats sold in small quantities.
The most popular dish is ‘aplastá’ soup, variation of ‘perotas’ soup, rabbit, patties, as well as the typical potato omelette and the no less typical ‘gazpacho’ cold soup. Among the desserts there are oven baked rusks.
The festivities are on the 15th of May, and from the 14th to the 18th of August when they pay hommage to the Virgen de Fuensanta, patron saint of the town. The Twelfth Night Procession is celebrated on the 5th of January and Carnival which has recently been recovered takes place at the end of February
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History and Landscape
Places to visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
Festivities and traditions