The church
dominates the town from the top of a hill |
Alozaina occupies a
slightly raised position on the edge of the western area of
the Guadalhorce Valley, joining the Serranía de Ronda at the north of the
municipality. This has led to
the area having a varied landscape, with the beautiful
slopes of the Sierra Prieta and the La Ventanilla, which can be reached
through the pine forest of the Cuesta de Pino Alto. This is a journey
of particular tourist interest, offering spectacular views over the
Guadalhorce Valley. The
origins of human settlement in the area go back a very
long time indeed: fossils found in the municipality of Alozaina show
that people lived here many
thousands of years ago, and that there was once a
lake or sea here called Los Gavilanes. Fossil remains have also been found
in the Jorox area, in the Cave
of Algarrobo, where hunting utensils from the
Upper Paleolithic era and two gold trumpets from the Bronze Age were
discovered and are now in the
Archaeological Museum in Malaga. There were decorated
cups and other objects found in Iberian, and perhaps Phoenician, burial
grounds, and the Romans left their mark here too in the Albar area of
the Monte, with a column and a
type of altar stone found there. Roman remains
have also been discovered in the Ardite area. With the arrival of the
Moors the fortifications at Ardite and "Aloçaina" were built,
and this led to the
establishment of a fortified settlement that in turn led to the name
of the town. It was visited by the troops of Ferdinand and Isabella in
1484, when the re-population
of the area by Christians began. After the Morisco
rebellion in 1568, the town was sacked and destroyed. Alozaina was declared
a municipality on April 12th, 1492.
Places
to be visited
 |
Town
centre
The typical architecture of the Andalusian pueblos has been
preserved in Alozaina, to such
an extent that it was declared to have been the prettiest town
in Spain in 1976. The streets are filled with low, whitewashed
houses with flowers in window
pots and dominated by the imposing church.
Church of Santa Ana
The parish church of Santa Ana was built between the years 1770
and 1774, under the supervision
of the master builder Felipe Pérez Menor, although its origins
go back further, to 1622. It was built in the shape of the Latin
cross, the ceiling in timber. Outside
is a tiled panel that recalls the conquest
of the population in 1484. The tower has a square base and rises
to an octagonal bell tower
topped with a small pyramidal roof.
The old castle
The castle was totally reconstructed in 1951, with only a small
part of the wall and part of a
primitive Moorish tower remaining in its original form. There
is a magnificent look-out point in the castle from which one can
see much of the surrounding
countryside, and in which the official municipal stand
during the ferias of Santiago and Santa Ana, and also during the
olive oil festival.
Remains of ther hermitage and Moorish
cemetery
The Hermitage was built in a single storey excavated out of the
rock face, with a large niche
on what was the front of the building. The room of the hermit
was also carved out of the rock. Close by one can see the remains
of the Moorish cemetery, with
stone tombs of different sizes.
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| Where
to eat |
Restaurante La
Jaca. Large terrace and dining room. Beautiful views
(beside the petrol station)
Tel: 952 480 089.
Restaurante Hnos. Portales.
Tapas and dining room. C/Málaga, 60. Tel: 952 480
190.
Restaurante Bar Nuevo. Tapas
and dining room. C/Calvario, 22.
Tapas
Bar Central. Plaza del Romero
Bar Garcés. C/Iglesia, 2
Bar Merino. C/Mesón,
3
Bar El Cazador.
C/Calvario. |
| Where
to sleep |
La
Posada del Río. Tel: 636 017 961.
Hostal Sango(P**). Nine rooms.
C/Calvario, s/n. Tel: 952 482 084.
Rural house La Antigua Tahona.
Four rooms. C/Iglesia, 4. Tel: 952 480 022.
Molino del Rey. Nine rooms.
Molino del Rey(Jorox). Tel: 952 480 009.
Granja Escuela Arroyo de las Viñas.
For pre-arranged groups. Ctra. Alozaina to
Yunquera. Tel: 952 480 558.
|
Entrance to calle
Mesón |
FIESTAS
Alozaina celebrates its Festivals in honour of the Sweet Name of María
(las
Fiestas en Honor del Dulce Nombre de María) during the month of
September,
which is also known as the Fiestas de la Aceituna. Apart from musical
events, one of the most popular parts of the festival is the free tasting
of
olives on the Sunday morning in the main square of the town. Here visitors
and locals alike gather to enjoy the event and have a great time at the
festival.
GASTRONOMY
Alozaina, being situated at the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda and
the
entrance to the Guadalhorce Valley, has a rich and varied gastronomy that
includes dishes like fried garlic with eggs, garlic flavoured rabbit with
tomato, gazpacho, ajoblanco, salmon and cod omelette and many other items.
In winter the most popular dishes are the gachas, the stews of chickpeas
with cod and garlic and the fried eggs with asparagus. The people of the
place like to eat roast pepper salads and gazpacho in summertime. For
dessert, the most popular dish is the green fig bread and the honey
doughnuts.
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