Front of the Vera
Cruz Shrine |
The village of Casarabonela lies on the western
side of the Guadalhorce valley, although the municipal district stretches
westwards into the Ronda mountains. Casarabonela itself has two peaks,
Alcaparaín at 1,200 metres and Preita at 1,521.
To the west and north-west the municipality is bounded by the River Turón
and the municipality of El Burgo. The countryside is composed of a mixture
of limestone rock and mountains covered with pine trees, making for
exceptionally beautiful scenery.
Much of the area immediately around the village is terraced and planted with
vegetables and fruit trees, all the way from the bottom of the valley to the
start of the bare rock. The mountainous outcrop of La Robla, with a height
of 563 metres, stands right in the middle of the municipal district,
surrounded by olive groves and cornfields.
Casarabonela has been inhabited since Neolithic times, but the most
important remains, for their high degree of conservation, are the Roman
ones, these having at one time constituted the basis of what is today the
village proper. In Roman days Casarabonela was known as Castra Vinaria,
meaning wine castle. The Romans built roads right across the area, the
remains of two of them still being visible today: one going south towards
Malaga and another going west towards Ronda.
Later, the Arabic settlers refrained from destroying
what was left of the Roman village, even going so far as to reinforce the
old fortress and keep the same name, which then became corrupted to Csar
Bonaira. The quality of the Arabic building work made Casarabonela one of
the most difficult villages for the Christian troops to seize during the
re-conquest. After the expulsion of the Moors the land was shared out among
Christian settlers from Extremadura and other parts of Andalucía. In 1574
King Philip II gave the village the title of "villa" or town,
recorded in a special charter that is still to be found in the Town Hall
archives.
Places
to be visited
 |
Church
of Santiago
The most important building in the village is the church of
Santiago (St. James), an old collegiate church built in late
Gothic style on the remains of a mosque in the fifteenth century.
The building, in the highest part of the village and very near the
ruins of the Arabic castle, has been restored on several occasions
throughout its history. It has three naves separated by arches and
rectangular pillars. The choirstalls in the main chapel and the
side chapel are among the main features. An 18th
century painted wooden image of Our Lady of the Rosary, made by
Rafael Ruíz Liébana, stands on the main altar. The façade is
marked by the Cross of St James and topped by an impressive church
tower with a pyramid-shaped roof covered with ceramic tiles.
The winding streets of Casarabonela
The layout of the village retains its Arabic form, with cool,
winding streets. One of the most charming spots is the Town Hall
Square, where the Town Hall building itself stands, with its
balconies, lamps and clock. Many of the whitewashed houses are
indented with little niches for images of saints. The
Hermitage of La Cruz is just outside the town. In spite of the
deterioration it has suffered, we can see that it has a single
nave and a small room off it, richly decorated in gesso, housing
the image of the Virgen de los Rondales. The exterior is very
original in design, with an entrance in three sections and a
central spire. An exterior arch unites the building with a house
beside it.
Other sites
The remains of two other settlements are to be found within the
municipal district: Taivilla, dating from Roman days, and Los
Villares, the old medieval village. Other interesting spots are
the shrine to the True Cross, La Hoguera cave and the Fuente
Quebrada spring, while in the Chorredón area it is worth seeing
the San Cristóbal and San Julián areas, and the Cortas and La
Jácara hills.
|
| Where
to eat |
Mesón Bandera.
Seafood and local dishes. Avda.Juan XXIII, 27. Tel 952 456 674.
Mesón La Parada. Roast meats.
Terraza. C/José Hidalgo, 41. Tel: 952 456 970.
Bar Nuevo. Local cuisine.
Terrace and large dining room. Pza. Buenavista, 2. Tel: 952 456
572.
Venta de Carmen. Barbecues on
weekends. Pto. Martínez (Ctra. Casarabonela-El Burgo).
Tapas
Bar El Canario, Bar El Central, Bar La Reja, Bar Avenida and Bar
Farina.
|
| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Alcaparaín(2*). 18 rooms. Avda. Federico Muñoz, 14.
Tel: 952 456 843.
Hotel
La Era. 9
rooms. Partido Martina (Los Cerrillos). Tel: 952 112 538.
Casa rural Huerta de San Francisco.
4 rooms. Avda. Fernando Díaz, 30. Tel: 952 246 607 - 626 18
68 85.
Casa rural Jarasur. Two houses
of three rooms each. Avda. Fernando Díaz, s/n. Tel:
952 456 844 - 952 281 123.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
A typical street in
Casarabonela |
FIESTAS
The fair in honour of St James is held in
the last week of July, when open air dancing in the decorated streets
continues late into the night. There are several other interesting feast
days during the year. On November 7th the Romería in honour of
the Virgen de los Rondeles takes place. The May Cross Festival is held on
May 7th, while the feast of the Virgin of Rondeles is celebrated on
December 12th. The whole village comes out into the streets on New Year’s
Eve to eat their 12 grapes to the striking of the Town Hall clock.
GASTRONOMY AND CRAFTWORK
The most traditional dish in Casarabonela is the sopa perota. This is a
soup made by frying chopped tomatoes and peppers in a frying pan and then
adding water and boiling all the ingredients together. When ready to eat,
breadcrumbs are added.
In recent years many handicraft workshops have
sprung up here in order to revive traditional crafts such as pottery. Rush
and esparto grass articles are also made in the town.
FLORA AND FAUNA
The flora is typical of
Mediterranean woodland, with holm oaks and pine trees, many of which have
been planted in recent years, and scrubland covered with esparto grass,
fan palms and gorse. Rosemary, juniper and rock rose also grow in the
countryside around the village. The
municipal district, especially around La Robla, is notable for the many
species of large bird found here, such as booted eagles, goshawks,
kestrels, harriers, buzzards and eagle owls. At ground level there are
foxes and occasionally mountain goats and roe deer.
|
