Nerja has
magnificent beaches all along its coastline |
Nerja is the easternmost municipality in the
province of Malaga, lying between the foothills of the Sierra Almijara and
the coast. There are two main areas of population: the town of Nerja itself
and the little hamlet of Maro. At
the entrance to the town of Nerja from the western end, on the N-340 main
road, there stands a sculpture by Aurelio Teno known as the Rapto de Europa
(the abduction of Europe), which was set up to commemorate Spain’s entry
into the European Community in January 1986. At
the southern tip of the town a famous promontory, known as the Balcón de
Europa, hangs over the sea. It was built on the spot occupied by the Guards’
Tower in Moorish times and constituted the starting point for present-day
Nerja, which began to develop as a settlement about 500 years ago, in the
reign of Queen Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad). This was after the last Moors,
who lived at the Castillo Alto farmstead in Naricha (the old name for
Nerja), about two kilometres up the Frigiliana road, had finally left.
One of the main historical buildings in the town is the Church of El
Salvador, built at the end of the seventeenth century (1697) on the site of
the old castle chapel. Enlarged in 1770, it now houses a magnificent mural
of the Incarnation on a Nerja beach by one of the great masters of new
European painting, Francisco Hernández, and a bronze Christ, like the
statue at the entrance to the town, by sculptor Aurelio Teno. The
original atmosphere of an Andalusian Mediterranean village is preserved in
the streets in the old part of the town. Another attractive feature is the
Verano Azul (blue summer) Park - named after a TV series filmed here, which
brought fame to the area - and the boat, El Dorado, belonging to the main
character, "Chanquete". The
River Miel flows out into the sea in this area, with an old paper mill
standing near the mouth. It was built at the end of the eighteenth century
by Manuel Centurión Guerrero de Torres, who was Governor General of the
overseas province of Guayana in the reign of King Charles III. On
the road between Nerja and Maro you will pass by a beautiful piece of
engineering work, erected at the end of the nineteenth century. This is an
aqueduct that was used to transport water from a spring in Maro to the San
Joaquín de Maro sugar factory.
Places
to be visited
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Nerja
Caves
It is just one kilometre inland from here that Nerja’s great
natural wonder lay hidden for thousands of years - a huge cave,
where music and dance festivals are held every summer. Designated
a national monument, it is visited by over 500,000 people a year.
The archaeological remains are among the most important in the
western Mediterranean while the paintings span the period from the
Aurignacian culture to the Copper Age. The dwelling of Cro-Magnon
man, the cave is now home to a research institute. In winter,
pot-holing is practiced here for organised groups. Telephone for
information: 952 529 520. Internet
Church of El Salvador
Built in 1697 over the ancient chapel of the Castle of Nerja
(Balcón de Europa). Designed in the Mudéjar and late Baroque, it
was enlarged in 1770. Inside there is a mural by the painter
Francisco Hernández and a statue of Christ in bronze by the
sculptor Aurelio Teno.
Hermitage of Las Angustias
This is a shrine to Nuestra Señora de Angustias (Our Lady of
Anxiety), completed at the beginning of the eighteenth century and
first used in 1720. The outstanding feature here is some extremely
beautiful frescoes on the subject of the Pentecost and attributed
to the Granada school.
Acueducto del Aguila
A beautiful piece of engineering work, erected at the end of the
nineteenth century, this aqueduct was built to transport water
from a spring in Maro to the San Joaquín de Maro sugar factory.
It can easily be seen from the N-340, before arriving at the
autovía, close to the Nerja caves.
Nature park
Nerja has 14.5 kilometres of coastline, with 12 delightful coves
and beaches. One of the places worth visiting is the El Pinarillo
at El Esparto Spring and Los Cahorros in the upper reaches of the
River Chillar, in the Sierra Tejeda-Almijara Nature Park. There is
a path for ramblers, which follows the River Chillar and takes
about five hours. Pools of water remain in the river even in
summer, and along the pathways one can find tropical plantations
of avocados and chirimoyos
Pre-historic and Archaeological Museum. Nerja
caves (Maro). Tel: 952 529 520. From 10 to 6 p.m.
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| Where
to eat |
Marisquería El
Pulguilla. Specialising in fried fish and seafood.
C/Bolivia, 1. Tel: 952 521 384.
Marisquería El Chispa.
Specialising in fried fish and seafood. C/San Pedro, 26. Tel:
952 523 697.
Cueva de Nerja. Buffet and
gastronomic delights. Nerja Caves. Tel: 952 529 600.
Hotel Villa Flamenca.
International cuisine. Avda. Andalucía, 1. Tel: 952 523 200.
El Barrio. Traditional
cooking. C/El Barrio, 45. Tel: 952 524 646.
El Colono. Flamenco and a la
carte menu. C/Granada, 6. Tel: 952 521 826.
Haveli. Indian cuisine.
C/Almirante Ferrándiz, 44. Tel: 952 524 297.
Pizzería La Strada. Italian
cuisine. C/Chaparil, 5 Edf. Tesoros. Tel: 952 523 088.
Poseidón. Greek cuisine.
C/Gloria, 11. Tel: 952 526 735.
Mesón Pata Negra. Fish and
meats. Plaza de la Marina. Tel: 952 520 222.
Mesón Gallego Máximo. Home
cooking. C/Manuel Marín, 12. Tel: 952 524 130.
Casa Luque. Creative cuisine.
Plaza Cavana, 2. Tel: 952 521 004.
Restaurante La Marea.
Specialising in all types of fish. Plaza Cantarero, 9. Tel:
952 525 778.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Al Andalus. Situated 4 kilometres from Nerja. Tel:
952 529 648.
Hotel Balcón de Europa( 4*).
Paseo Balcón de Europa, 1. Tel: 952 520 800 Fax 952 524 490.
Hotel Mónica( 4*). Plaza de
la Torrecilla, s/n. Tel: 952 521 100 Fax 952 521 162.
Parador de Turismo (4*).
C/Almuñécar, 8. Tel: 952 520 050 Fax 952 521 997.
Hotel Jimesol (3*).
C/Chaparil,6. Tel/Fax: 952 525 888.
Hotel José Cruz (3*). Playa
de Burriana, C/Lucena, 60. Tel.952 524 446 Fax 952 526 829.
Hotel Chaparil (2*). Plaza
Chaparil, 1. Tel: 952 524 708 Fax 952 524 745.
Hostal Casa Manuel. C/Almirante
Ferrandiz, 117. Tel: 952 525 958.
Hostal-Cafetería-Restaurante Marissal.
Balcón de Europa, 3. Tel: 952 520 199. Nerja.
Camping Nerja. Ctra. N-340,
Km. 297. Maro.Tel: 952 529 714. Fax 952 529 696.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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Performance in the
Nerja Caves |
FIESTAS
The fair, a great tradition in the town
ever since 1804, is held in honour of the patron saint, Nuestra Señora de
Angustias, between October 8th and 12th. Tourists, foreign residents and
the local people all mingle at this event. The romería (semi-secular,
semi-religious parade) for the feast of St Isidore the farm hand is held
around May 15th and is one of the most eye-catching of all the local ones.
It starts out from the Balcón de Europa and ends outside the cave, where
a big country party is held attended by up to 10,000 people.
There are many more special festivities but one that must be mentioned is
the carnival. Lasting five days in February, it is one of the best on the
Costa del Sol
The maritime procession in honour of the Virgen del Carmen is on July 16th.
The festival of Maro in honour of San Antón is a
century-old tradition, and in September there is the festival of the
patron saint, Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas, where the townspeople
congregate beside their Virgen de las Maravillas.
GASTRONOY
Nerja has its own traditional
cuisine with many delicious, attractive dishes: fish and noodle broths,
fried pumpkin with sardines, rice with consommé and cockles, avocado
salad, kid in tomato sauce, octopus in tomato sauce, salt cod cakes with
parsley and many more. A traditional local dessert is yams with cane
syrup, while the wines from the hills are both sweet and dry.
MARO AND THE CLIFFS
Maro, forming part of the municipality of
Nerja, has some beautiful cliffs reaching almost to the province of
Granada. Its origins go back to Roman times, when Detunda, as it was known
in those days, lay between the nearby Roman towns of Sexi (present-day
Almuñécar) and Clavicum (present-day Torrox), beside the Roman road from
Cástulo (which was near present-day Linares in the province of Jaén) to
Malaca (Malaga). Maro’s little church is typical of those found in
Mediterranean villages.
At present, the cliffs
of Maro are a very popular route to the beaches, one of which has a
chiringuito (beach bar) and which can be reached by car. The other beaches
are for the more adventurous types, and have to be reached on foot by
signed pathways. Nudism is permitted on some of them but camping is
prohibited.
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