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Almogia Holidays
Almogia, a pretty Moorish mountain town where you can find that perfectly situated holiday spot or that dream home in the sun.
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Almogia, a pretty Moorish mountain town where you can find that perfectly situated holiday spot or that dream home in the sun.
Tourist information about Almogia in Spain. Travel to Almogia and let Spain-Holiday.com guide and accommodate you |
This small town roughly halfway between Málaga and Antequera is rightly proud of its name. It derives from the Moorish al-megia or al-mexía, the pretty one, a reference to its position in the foothills of the Sierra del Hacho, in the shadow of the Sancti-Petri peak.
Within its municipal boundaries, Almogía accomodates five hamlets: Arroyo Coche, Barranco de Sol, Los Moras, Los Núñez and Monterroso.
The distance from Almogia to Malaga is some 23 km and it is situated just half an hour - 30 km from the airport of Malaga.
Almogia is located at the heart of the mountains on rugged terrain populated with olives, almond trees and pines.
The village stands on the side of a hill, still retaining its original Arabic layout, with steep, narrow streets of white houses, many of which are of recent construction. According to Asin Palacios, its name is of Arabic origin and means "The Beautiful".
Food and drink:
Almogia, until recently, had too few eateries for the number of its inhabitants.
The wind has changed in the summer of 2005, when three new restaurants opened simultaneously. The fourth eatery made its successful debut during the August summer fair and will be opening in October 2005.
There is a good number of older establishments too, which in addition to serving drinks, also offer tapas
Transport:
Getting to Almogia might remind you of that well used Roman saying - Every road leads to Rome.
Well in this case, any road will lead you to Almogia.
Just dont be too surprised if you set out to reach Almogia one way from the South - airport side, and end up getting lost, re-getting lost and finding your way from way up North down South to Almogia, five hours later.
No need to worry though, the roads to Almogia are littered with roadside restaurants, bars and ventas and the sure thing is, that you wont suffer from hunger and thirst!
There are several ways of travelling to Almogia.
Unless you are a Green person who insists on not using the car, you will not want to rely on the bus transport. If you are a couple, single, family on a holiday, etc., renting a country house walking distance from the town nucleus, you are lucky enough not to need the car, unless you will want to visit the surrounding towns, villages, beaches or do field trips to El Torcal and beyond.
DRIVING TO ALMOGIA
There are several ways of reaching Almogia.
If you are travelling from the airport, you can choose from several different routes, all depending on your own confidence.
HISTORY:
There was very probably a settlement here since Roman times, as the presence of a Roman road nearby attests. The town we see was settled by Moors, and during the revolt against Córdobas Omeyas caliphate by Omar ben Hafsún in the 11th century Almogía was fortified as an outpost of Hafsúns castle at Bobastro, near the El Chorro gorge. During the wars of the Reconquest, Almogía was also used as a prison for Christian captives, and fell to the Christians only late in the Reconquest - 1487, just five years before the decisive fall of Grenada in 1492. Many of the Moriscos - "those allowed to remain" - were involved in the unsuccessful Moorish uprising of 1570, and reprisals were harsh, leading to a drastic depopulation of the area. The castle was captured by the French in the 19th century War of Independence, and deliberately destroyed prior to their ousting. Today, only one of the original seven towers remains, the Torre de la Vela, possibly named after the tower in the Alhambra whose bell tolled the time for the surrounding countryside.
Almogía is known as "the cradle of the Verdiales", the rich local style of flamenco based on a country variant of fandango, itself probably based on Arabic musical forms. Almogía hosts an important Verdiales festival every first week in August.
Its hilly setting makes Almogía an ideal base for arboreal agriculture such as cork, olives and almonds, as well as crafts employing esparto grass. The villages worker cooperatives are famous for their hats, which were worn by Spanish soldiers during the Cuban wars of the 19th century. Almogía also has a reputation for fine saddlemaking.
The castle, known as the Hins-Xan-Biter (Sancti-Petri, after the mountain) is the most prominent structure in Almogia, although most of it is in ruins. The towns most remarkable church is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, built over the ruins of a Moorish mosque deliberately destroyed after the Reconquest. It was designed by Diego de Vergara in 1552 for the Bishop of Málaga. Despite the destruction of the original mosque, an impressive coffered mudéjar ceiling covers the central nave. The church boasts numerous 18th century religious icons, as well as a portrait of the hermit, Saint Paul.
The second most important religious structure in the town is the Ermita del Sagrado Corazón (sacred heart), located in the upper part of the town. The building we see today was built in the 18th century and has a small choir and bell tower, originally used by nuns living in an adjoining convent that was demolished in the 19th century. The town also has a shrine of Christ the Saint on the cross in calle Santo Cristo, the only surviving example of no less than fourteen that were erected around the town.
Just outside the town, the Lavadero de Noria, its former municipal wash house, on calle Juan Carlos 1, was still in use as late as 1990. It consists of no less than thirty earthenware basins on a stone base, originally fed by water raised by waterwheel. Further outside the town, at the Venta del Fraile, is a minor archaeological site where prehistoric paintings and artefacts were discovered.
FEASTS:
Almogía has a number of important annual festivals. After the February carnaval, Semana Santa at Easter reaches a peak on the Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, when the Burial of Christ procession takes place and most townsfolk dress in black. On May 15, the romeria (procession) of San Isidro, patron saint of farmers, gives everyone an excuse to travel out into the countryside for a picnic. The August Verdiales festival also coincides with the Trilla, or threshing competition. There are three classifications in this competition among threshers and the best way to separate wheat from chaff, including threshing on a board, and threshing with a roller. There is also a threshing song celebration. The most celebrated Almogía dish is Chanfaina, kid goat with almonds, but there are also many local specialities using pork.
The municipal tourist office is at the town hall, in Plaza de la Constitución, tel 952 430 025.
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See a map over Almogia
