Excursions

EXCURSION TO EL TORCAL
LA LAGUNA DE FUENTE DE PIEDRA AND ANTEQUERA

Basic Itinerary

The recommended itinerary is by starting in el Torcal, continuing through the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra and ending with the visit to the city of Antequera.

Using the bullfighting ring as a starting point, it is easy to see the signs leading the way to el Torcal. Nevertheless, you should be reminded that you have to go around the roundabout between la Alameda and el Paseo Real, to enter by the Castillas square and at the end of this square turn left which comes out at the Avda. De la Legión which will take us to Picadero street and from there to the Torcal road, direction towards Villanueva de la Concepción. From the section which borders the town, there is a view of great beauty with the city in the foreground, presided by the castle walls and scattered with towers, which look out among white houses and Arabic roofs. In the background, a meadow and further afield the Peña de los Enamorados, which cuts the horizon with a peculiar silhouette.

Ascending the Torcal, and having the hillsides as travelling companions, you can not imagine what you will find up there. When the road turns to the right at the Puerto de la Boca del Asno, ascending the southern slope, the rocks of the Sierra Pelada announce the closeness of el Torcal. Further ahead we will leave this road in order to take the entry which will take us to it. On the way up, on a clear day, you can contemplate extraordinary panoramas of the Malaga mountains with the sea in the background.

The environmental agency has built a lookout, so one can enjoy the scenery peacefully and close by, a shepherd refuge has been built which could well of had its original model in the Neolithic period. In the surroundings of the lookout, you can see the beginnings of the rocky formations which are usual in el Torcal, but it will be further up, when the road is lost in the stormy landscape, that a stony world, never to be imagined will be opened up to the visitor. Even the best photographs can’t do justice to what can be seen there.

A spectacular scenery which surged from the bottom of the sea some hundred thousand years ago, rising to over 1.300 metres over its present level. And once the rain water has emerged and the carbonic anhydride of the atmosphere has dug furrows, pits and wasteland have formed, and paths flanked by fantastic figures have opened, in which the imagination can see columns, palaces, cathedrals, oriental temples, organs and even stone giants. Some of these forms have names : "the sphinx", "the jug", "the camel", "the virgin", "the chalice", "the castle", "the hat", etc..

In order to enjoy the marvels of the Torcal, you need at least one whole morning, which is how long it takes to walk the red route or botanical itinerary. But the green route is also very interesting and shorter. Both routes start at the Albergue-Centro de Interpretación, which can be reached by car.

Before making either route, one should visit the hostel, as there is a complete exhibition of the most characteristic elements of the Torcal and there is an interesting audio-visual is projected every half hour.

On returning from el Torcal, we will border the city again and go towards the A-92 motorway and from the have access to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra. Once you have left the motorway, you must cross the town and at the exit, a little further on from the overpass of the Sierra de Yeguas road, over the railway track, there is a change of direction which will take you to the Laguna lane. From this lane is the access to Centro de Interpretación, from where you can see an exhibition of the lagoon, with its different aspects ; history, geology, vegetation and fauna, with a special section for the Flamingo. Here they also project an audio-visual with the Flamingo in the leading role.

From the porch of this Centro de Interpretación, the people in charge of the lagoon help the visitor to contemplate the Flamingos and other birds, providing you with telescopes, but if there is enough time, a tour round the perimeter should be made, through small roads and paths which connect consecutively with the estates of La Herriza, La Madriguera (one of the most attractive lookouts in the lagoon), Campos (in ruins), Las Lomas (there is a lookout nearby), La Rápita (further ahead from this estate, there is a lookout installed in the nature reserve) and the municipal camping of the lagoon. From this camping you can also have an excellent view from the edge of the swimming pool.

In this crushed course one can anticipate food in the same town Fuente de Piedra which has various restaurants all of high quality and good price, and don’t forget to try the exquisite "porra antequerana".

The afternoon can be dedicated to the city of Antequera. The visit should be started in the same area from which arrive coming from the Malaga motorway but using the same communication means coming from the A-92 motorway which brings us from Fuente de Piedra. From this area, the first stop would be the Dolmens. Three funereal constructions, of which the largest is Menga. It is one of the best conserved in the world and was built in the bronze age, around 2.500 B.C. Near it is the Viera, smaller, but with a construction which is more cared for in the adjustment of its stones ; it is dated from about 2.000 B.C. The third, Romeral, if further away and the most highly developed of the group. It was possibly built around 1.800 B.C.

Shortly after entering the city by Cordoba street and descending the Cuesta de Archidona, we arrive at the Plaza de Santiago, where you can see a typical urbanistic complex in which are the churches of Santa Eufemia and Santiago, two monuments from the second half of the 18th century. Further ahead, following the Carrera street and after passing the Victoria church built in the first decade of the 18th century, the Palacio de los Marqueses de la Peña, built in the 16th century, framed by two lookout towers, and the San Jose church, with a beautiful baroque front of the 18th century, we arrive at the Nájera palace, old ancestral house of the 18th century which shelters the municipal museum ; in it there are numerous pieces of archaeological, artistic and ethnic interest. From all of them, the Efebo de Antequera stands out (roman bronze from the 1st century), the San Francisco, of Pedro de Mena and an important collection of goldsmith work. The church Las Catalinas is very close to this palace-museum.

In Encarnación street, which took us to the Nájera palace, is the Encarnación convent, a 16th century building with important Mudejar coffering where there is a sculpture of the Virgen del Carmen, by Diego Marqués y Vega (1787). Continuing our route through the interior of the city, we arrive at the Iglesia de San Sebastian, situated in the square with the same name. This church was built between 1540 and 1547 and presents a plateresque style front with a baroque-mudejar style tower of great beauty ; inside, one can admire numerous works of art, among them the gothic image of the Virgen de la Esperanza (15th century), placed in a baroque altarpiece of Bernardo Simón de Pineda (1693). This church, along with the Arco del Nazareno (18th century), the Fuente Renacentista (16th century) and other buildings, form one of the most interesting complexes of the antequeran urbanism.

The San Sebastián square is a cross-roads in the historic-artistic route through Antequera. If you don’t have much time, it is best to select the route which covers the monuments on the south side of the city, but if you can, follow the route towards the northern area by Infante Don Fernando street (also known as Estepa street), where the first interesting building we find is the San Agustin church, built between 1550 and 1566 by Diego de Vergara. In the 17th century, important mannerist decorations were added and between this and the 18th century, the bell tower was erected which is the most singular element. Further ahead there is the Padres Terceros convent, converted today into the Casa Consistorial. The most outstanding features are the cloister from the end of the 17th century, the monumental stair box (1745) and the neobaroque style facade. Next to this convent, to which it belonged, is the Iglesia de los Remedios, built between 1608 and 1699 and which is actually dedicated to the patron saint of Antequera. Its baroque altarpieces are of great interest, in which outstands the largest made by Antonio Rivera (18th century).

Before we end our course through Infante Don Fernando street, we will find a new monument, the San Juan de Dios street with a facade from the 17th century by the Granada architect, Melchor de Aguirre and baroque plasterwork inside by the master, Tomás de Melgarejo.

At the end of the avenue is the bullfighting ring which apart from its actual aspect has undergone recent remodelling (1984-85), its primitive construction took place at the middle of the last century. From the bullfighting ring and going up Alberque street, we arrive at Parque de Antequera, with extraordinary gardens, and monuments to the heart of Jesus and Mary. Thus we arrive at the Campillo Alto square and from there we take Porterías street to get to Iglesia de la Trinidad, erected at the end of the 17th century in severe blacksmith baroque style. Its interior is large and majestic. Two fires, on in 1932 and another in 1935 destroyed a great part of its artistic heritage. This church is in front of the Cruz Blanca, in which there is an artistic changing room, reflection of the customs widespread between the 16th and 17th centuries of integrating the religion in the streets and squares with niches, chapels and changing rooms.

Near this changing room is the Iglesia de San Pedro in the street with the same name. It is an enormous temple of renaissance style in which the baldaquin of its altar is what stands out the most, a work from Antonio Mohedano. Going back to the mentioned changing room, we continue our route by the Lucena street until we arrive at the Madre de Dios church, magnificent convent temple erected in mid 18th century by the master Cristóbal García. This church was considered to be one of the most skilled of andalusian rococo. Inside there are magnificent sculptures of San Agustin and the Virgen de Monteagudo, works by José de Medina. A little further ahead of this church is the palace of the Marquises de Villadarías, also known as the "Casa de las Columnas", due to its impressive front of columns from the beginning of the 18th century.

We come out again to the Infante Don Fernando street and go down to the San Sebastian square by the southern part of our historic-artistic route. From this square, we ascend the hill of the Zapateros and San Judas streets to come out by some steps to the Plaza Alta, close to the place where the Arco de los Gigantes can be found, a work in mannerist style which was built to substitute and old Arabic door, to place diverse stone plaques and roman statues found near the city. It dates from 1585 and is considered to be the oldest open air public museum in Spain. You enter through this archway.

Further ahead, when the Plaza Alta reaches Colegio street, we find Callejón de la Estrella (also know as Postigo de la Estrella), which is on of the most arabic-andalucian corners in the city, and forms part of the old Arabic suburb where the most important anniversaries of Antequera took place.

Further down the Callejan de la Estrella, is the Iglesia del Carmen, built between 1583 and 1633, which holds an extraordinary coffering and three altarpieces from the mid 18th century which where considered to by vital in the andalusian baroque altarpiece works. The plasterwork of the dome and the nave are also interesting mannerist styles. From the Iglesia del Carmen we return to Colegio street to enter into one of its most important historic-artistic sites of the city. In first place due to its monumentality, is the Real Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, built between 1514 and 1550. Its front, of the renaissance style was articulated following the outline of the Roman arc of triumph. Its interior is composed as a great hall divided into three naves by imposing Ionic-renaissance columns, Mudejar cofferings and Gothic-Mudéjar vault of the main chapel. Near the Colegiata is the Arab Castle in which one can still see important Moslem walls. Among the complex of conserved towers are the "Papabellotas" or Homenaje, crowned by a tempera of mannerist style (1582) which is used to hold the city bell, the Puerta de Malaga (chapel of the Virgen de la Espera) and the outer towers of the Estrella (in the Estrella street) and of the Agua. Very near the basilica of Santa María, an important Roman site was found.

Going down from the Santa María square through Villa de Enmedio street you exit onto Niña de Antequera street and from there you reach the chapel of the Virgin de la Espera, as mentioned before, it is one of the Arabic defence towers in the city. It is a good example of the military Arabic-Andalusian architecture of the 13th century, in which there is a funny horseshoe archway. Very close to this tower, descending until the Henchidero street, we find the San Juan church, in the suburb with the same name and from this church we ascend through the Cuesta Real street up to the Portichuelo square, a chapel-gallery of the Virgen del Socorro, built in the Baroque-Mudejar style in the mid 18th century. Close to this we find the Iglesia de Jesus.

From Portichuelo square and following the Alvaro de Oviedo Street, we arrive at the Palacio de las Escalonías in the crossing of this street with the Pasilla street, following the latter until the Paz hill, where you find the Iglesia de Santo Domingo. Descending the la Paz hill we come out onto San Sebastian square again and returning from our excursion we go back the way we came, following the Encarnacion and Carrera streets until we reach Santiago square, continuing from there through Belén street, where you find Belén church. A magnificent baroque temple from the 18th century. Through Belén street we come to the last monument , the Puerta de Granada, a baroque style arch made in 1749 by the master architect, Martín de Bogas.