Street with the
church behind |
Fuente de Piedra is situated on a practically flat
area, surrounded by the Sierras de Mollina mountain range, whose highest
peaks reach to almost 800 metres. The highest point within the municipality
of Fuente de Piedra is the Conejas, at 500 metres. The well-known lake at
Fuente de Piedra is in the municipality, one of the biggest tourist
attractions in the area and a place of very important ecological value.
The first
settlements here date back a long way, to the 5th century B.C., although the
first written reference to the place dates from Roman times. This is written
in Latin, its translation being: "Lucio Postumio Satulio, by the vote
that he has by right, dedicates this altar stone of the divine
fountain." The reference is to the water with its curative powers, and
which gives the name to the town, in that those who drink it will be cured
of their "mal de la piedra", illness of the stone, meaning gall
stones. After the Moorish domination, the town was abandoned in 1461,
reconstructed once more in 1547. Then followed its period of maximum
splendour, with the water being exported as far as the Kingdom of Naples and
America. A series of epidemics in the 18th and early 19th centuries
decimated the population of the town, and the fountain had to be lifted and
brought to another site. It was believed that this caused the water to lose
its curative properties, and the fountain was abandoned, to be finally
covered over in 1959. In 1990 it was excavated into existence again and
restored in 1994, where it can now be seen in the Plaza de la Constitución.
The history of the town itself has always been closely linked with the
history of the salt lake, the Laguna Salada. This was worked for the
extraction of salt from Roman times until 1951. The lake was named a
National Hunting Refuge in 1981, and at present is a national reserve that
has a large colony of flamingoes that breed there.
Places
to be visited
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Laguna
de Fuente de Piedra
The lake, which is only 500 metres from the town itself, is
elliptical shaped, measuring about 6,5 kilometres from end to end
and 2,5 kilometres wide, occupying a space of 1,300 hectares. Its
geological make-up has resulted in a unique collection of flora
and fauna in this place, a humid zone in the western Mediterranean
that is home to the biggest flamingo breeding grounds in all of
Spain. Along with the humid zones of Campillos, made up of six
lakes, and the lake at La Ratosa in Alameda, Andalucía thus has a
magnificent complex of lakes rich in animal, bird and plant life.
Flora and Fauna of the lake
One of the curiosities of this lake is the presence of plants that
have adapted themselves to salt water, above all the Sosa plant,
although there are many other species here too. These form the
ecosystem in which live a large number of animals and birds,
mostly of the aquatic kind. The flamingo colony here is the
biggest in Spain and the second biggest in Europe, and the lake is
a winter breeding ground for many other bird species too, some in
danger of extinction and protected by law. During the breeding
period, March to July, it is possible to see here different
species of sea-gull and other quite rare birds, apart from the
flamingoes. In fact, there are birds here all the year round,
winter and summer, and also the passing migratory birds that rest
here. The reserve has an
information and interpretive centre situated at the Cerro del
Palo, where there is plenty of interesting information available
on the lake and its inhabitants, with audiovisual panels
explaining how this delicate ecosystem works.
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| Where
to eat |
Restaurante La Laguna. Specialising in free-range kid,
salmon with Roquefort cheese, La Laguna casserole, omelette with
cod and pork. Carretera Sevilla-Málaga Km. 135. Tel: 952 735 242.
Bar Ponce. Specialising
in rabbit with garlic, Antequerana casserole and Andalusian
gazpacho. Plaza de la Constitución. Tel: 952 735 047.
Bar Soto. Specialising in home
cooking and meat with sauces, mushrooms and tomato. C/Juan Carlos
I. Tel: 952 736 058.
Bar El Flamenco Rosa.
Specialising in pulpo a la gallega, Strogonoff sirloin and
emelettes. Plaza de la Constitución. Tel: 952 735 281.
Bar El Cafelillo. Specialising
in callos (pigs’ trotters and snouts) and clams. Plaza de la
Constitución.
Bar Stop. Specialising in
broth made with Andalusian chickpeas. C/Ancha.
Camping-Restaurante-Piscina La Laguna de
Fuente de Piedra. Camino de la Rábita, s/n. Tel: 952
735 154.
Pubs. Bar Bolillón.
C/Iglesia, Pub Mindanao. C/Iglesia.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hostal
La Laguna. Carretera Sevilla-Málaga Km. 135. Tel: 952
735 242.
Camping La Laguna. Camino de
la Rábita, s/n. Tel: 952 735 154. Internet
Cortijo Rural Santa Teresa.
Carretera Fuente to Piedra-Campillos. Tel: 952 740 004.
Rural accommodation 'La Torca'.
Rural tourism in Fuente de Piedra. Telephone for reservation at
952 737 015
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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A detail of domestic
architecture in the town |
FIESTAS
The festive calendar in Fuente de Piedra begins on February 1st and 2nd
with the Fiesta de La Candelaria. The carnival is scheduled for later on
in the month, in which the people of the town take to the streets in fancy
dress and all have a good time, with music and dancing. The festivities
for February end with the Día de Andalucía on February 28th.
The next festival has to wait for May to come along, with the Romería of
Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes taking place on the second Sunday of that
month. In July and August, depending on how the previous breeding season
went, there is a ceremony at the lake to coincide with the ringing of the
newly-born flamingoes.
The summer feria takes place from July 22nd to 25th,
while the festival in honour of the patron saint, Nuestra Señora de las
Virtudes, is on September 7th and 8th. One of its most exciting events is
the horse race with ribbons, officially declared to be of National Tourist
Interest, where one can see the women dressed in the traditional Spanish
mantilla. There are also processions through the streets and singing in
praise of the Virgin at this time.
GASTRONOMY
The gastronomy of the town is quite
similar to that of other towns in the region, with casseroles, fried bread
crumbs and Andalusian gazpacho, and in an area of so much wildlife, there
are many game dishes eaten here too, depending on season. Of these, the
partridge in gazpacho soup is especially popular, accompanied by the wines
of the region.
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