PueblosBlancosDiscoveryTours: Axarquía, Málaga

The route of the Almond blossoms

Prologue:

On this cold but nice winters day in January we headed to the eastern part of Málaga Province and to the very Moorish region of Axarquía with its white washed villages and their narrow streets. There are 31 villages, reaching from the coast to the mountains. Some of Churches, are converted mosques and the church towers were in former times minarets. The Axarquias countryside has many contrasts, with lush fruit orchards, deep valleys and the high mountains of Sierra Tejeda and the Almijara Ranges to the north/east.

Early Spring is one of my favorite times as you are able to see the Almond trees come into bloom.

Málaga's tourist board laid out various routes you can follow and discover the villages of the Axarquía region.

Ruta de Almendras (the Almond route) is missing on this board, so we followed our own route.

Canillas de Albaida, Árchez, Corumbela, Daimalos Vados, Arenas.

Almond trees come into bloom from mid January to end of February. You can see them growing near road sides, on hills, between olive groves and in orchards. Almond trees come in either sweet or bitter varieties. The blossom varies from snow white to pinkish red.

The Almonds (Almendras) play an important culinary role in the Andalusian cuisine. Most of the dishes have their origins from the Moors. The nuts are not only used in sweet cakes or sweets like Turron , but also in many savoury dishes. They form a base for many sauces like the Spanish Romesco sauce. The almonds are also the main ingredient for the White Garlic Soup "Ajoblanco".

Directions:

Coming from Marbella head to Málaga and then for Almeria on the A-7.

Take the turn off after Vélez-Málaga towards Algarrobo A-7206.

The road leaves the coast and you head inland on a good but very windy road.

The round trip from the A-7 by Vélez-Málaga is about 56 km.

Soon after leaving the coast road, you get a glimpse of the highest snow caped peak of the Sierra de Tejeda mountains, La Maroma (2066m). The summit is in the region of Axarquía and on the border between the provinces of Málaga and Granada.

We stopped at the Viewpoint of the round cemetery.

From here you have a good view across the village.

The village of Sayalonga is about 15 minutes from the A7 and certainly worth visiting. It is known for its unique round cemetery and is the only one in Spain.

At the entrance you find a small visitor centre, which shows and explains you the history.

On the way to Competa we come across an artistic crossroads display.

Our next stop was Competa

At the crossroads to Competa, there is a statue dedicated to
"the farm worker and his mule".
Not so common nowadays!

From this point we had a good view of Competa and the Sierra Tejeda.

A local bodega on the road side with local products for sale.

In the autumn the muscatel grapes are dried on hill sides

Just 10 minutes drive away from Competa you reach the picturesque village of Canillas de Albaida. It is on the route of the sun and the wine "Ruta del Sol y el Vino".

Canillas de Albaida is located at the foot of the impressive Tejeda and Almijara Ranges, a small town with steep, narrow streets painted an immaculate white. Perched on a hillside overlooking terraced gardens of grapevines, cereals amd olive groves. The most outstanding feature of this beautiful town is the Iglesia de Ntra. Sra. de la Expetación (Church of Our Lady of Expectation).

In its origins Canillas de Albaida was a Muslim farming community from the 13th century belonging to Vélez-Málaga which was known as Albaida (meaning "white"), not so much due to the colour of the houses, which may or may not have been this colour, but because of the white flowers which, according to chroniclers, abounded in the surrounding area.

Information taken from board.

We parked the car at the entrance to the village and followed the Calle Carril de Santana, which leads us uphill and to the chapel.

Have a closer look at the Christmas decoration, it is woven from Esparto grass.

An information board shows you the layout of the village.

The heart shaped "no way" sign which you can see in many villages, says no to macho violence
"No Vilonlecia Machista".

The Ermita de Santa Ana is located on the highest point overlooking the village.

A small picturesque park surrounds the chapel.

Ermita de Santa Ana is categorized as an historical monument of Andalucía which was built on top of an Arabic construction in the 16th century.

A look through one of the many arches where the sunlight reflects the perfect whitewashed walls which awakens the artistic eye.

The 360º panoramic views are amazing from here.

We look out towards the Sierra Tejeda and the limestone peak of La Maroma (2066m).

A last look back towards the Ermita de Santa Ana

and we headed back to the village center.

You find many narrow alleyways, a heritage of its Arabic past.

Callejon de Iglesia

After walking the labyrinths of streets we ended up at the church square.

The Plaza Ntra. Señora del Rosario looked very picturesque, even in winter.

Iglesia de Ntra. Señora de la Expectación
was built in the 16th, 17th century on the site of a former mosque.

In Canillas de Albaida you will find many old facades and nooks and crannies.

An ancient public wash house now used as a flower garden.

A fountain in Calle Almeria

After a good stroll trough the village we had a very nice lunch in the Restaurant El Cerezo.

Mixed salad (Ensalada mixta)

Grilled chicken breast (Pollo a la plancha)

Fried breadcrumbs (Migas)

From the suntrap terrace you have a wonderful view down the valley and towards the coast.

Re-energized, we carry on with our journey and followed the road A-7207 towards Archez.
Canillas de Albaida is on our list of favorites.

This road takes us through many Almond groves.

we took a brief stop and looked back from whence we came and towards
Competa and the Sierra Tejeda.

The sweet smell of almond blossoms fills the air.

Our next stop was the small hamlet of Corumbela on the route of "Ruta de Mudéjar".

Corumbela has about 300 inhabitants and it is administered by Sayalonga. The village origin is a bit unclear, but the first settlers were most probably the Iberian tribes, the Romans named it "Porumbel," the dove, as it lies perched on the rocky hillside. The Moors followed, until it was reconquered in 1493 by the troops of the Catholic monarchs.

The most eye catching building, is the Parish church of San Pedro with its

12th century mudéjar style tower.

The church of Saint Peter was built on the sight of an old mosque,of which the only remaining structure and well preserved, is the minaret which is now transformed into a Christian belfry.