It is as if the waves had reached up to the mountains, flowing over peaks and hillsides before breaking in Casares and ebbing back once more. A little limestone froth stranded between twin slopes with, at their summit, the battered castle resembling the remnants of an old shipwreck dragged along by the tide.
Many centuries ago, before Casares was Casares, and Malaga was Malaga, a group of intrepid Iberian tribesman dropped anchor at this far-flung outpost of the Mediterranean, and founded here and impregnable settlement. Later on the Romans proved that their bastion was not so invincible after all, and seized control of it. Julius Caesar, who at the time was nothing more than an ambitious praetor, took a judicious dip in the sulphurous waters of the Hedionda Springs, just a stone’s throw from the village, hoping to cure a number of skin complaints. So pleased was he with the results that (according to the legend) he gave his name to the place, which was henceforward known as Caesar. The passage of time and tongues altered this to its present-day form of Casares.
Others, meanwhile, find the source of the name among the Moors: Caxara (fortress). Whatever the truth of the matter, Casares was in ancient times a prosperous town, enriched by its strategic location and plentiful crops.
As chance would have it, more recently, to become the birthplace of the father of Andalusian nationalism. On 5 July 1885, Blas Infante was born there, in a house on Calle Carrera. A man who defended until death (literally) the concept and sentiment of his homeland.
MOORISH SOUL
The layout of Casares, declared a National Site of Historic and Artistic Interest in 1978, is defined by its narrow streets and unexpected squares, ready-made for a brief rest. And also by its houses, with their sculpted facades bathed in blinding whitewash. Most are simply built two-storey dwellings, cool in summer and warm in winter, decorated with the showy flowerpots which overhang every balcony and window, greeting passers-by with their scent and colour. The streets themselves are like a toboggan run: breakneck slopes, the narrowest of passageways... The town’s Moorish soul can most clearly be seen from a distance, with the houses of Casares rising up higgledy-piggledy one above another.
Up on the summit are the remains of the Arab castle, its ruins lying in testament to the passage of a great civilisation. In the 16th century, the former Church of the Incarnation was built on the site of this fortification, although there is another place of worship of the same name, the modern-day Parish Church of the Incarnation, built as part of a monastery. From the crumbling ramparts the view of the sea and mountains is quite remarkable.
After heading back down, we recommend a stop in the Plaza de España, a gift of King Charles III, and the perfect place to get one’s breath back. Just a stone’s throw away is the birthplace of Blas Infante, which is home to an interesting museum and cultural centre.
SEA BREEZE, MOUNTAIN AIR
A medio camino entre la Costa del Sol, la Serranía de Ronda y el Campo de Gibraltar, Casares compone un lienzo de recios contrastes. Los inaccesibles tajos que seccionan sus alrededores son refugio y aposento de una colonia de buitres leonados, un animal de más de dos metros de mal augurio que sobrevuela a diario el cielo casareño para llegar hasta la sierra de La Utrera. Es en este lugar donde se encuentran los baños romanos de La Hendionda, de alto valor arqueológico.
De espaldas a las montañas, la ruta se desliza hacia el mar. Las florecientes huertas enseñan el camino hacia la desembocadura del río Guadiaro en tierras gaditanas. Poco antes, Casares besa el mar en una pequeña franja al oeste de Manilva. Su playa es virginal, rocosa, custodiada por la Torre de la Sal, promontorio de piedra que veló, hace centurias, por la seguridad de su costa |
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Useful information |
HOW TO GET THERE... Se encuentra a unos 120 Km. del aeropuerto de Málaga por la Autopista del Sol hasta el desvío de Manilva. Luego, son unos 20 kilómetros de carretera de montaña. Un trayecto que puede durar una hora desde la capital.
MAKE SURE YOU TRY... El conejo en todas sus formas (o casi todas). En verano, los casareños realizan una modalidad de gazpacho muy rica y fresca. De postre, tortas fritas acompañadas de miel.
DON´T MISS... En la primera quincena de agosto, la feria local. A mediados de septiembre, la llamada feria de Cristo que se celebra con una gran romería donde participa toda la comarca.
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