View of Malaga from
the Gibralfaro |
Clear southern light, blue skies most of the year
round and the best climate in all of Europe. This is Malaga, the City of
Paradise, as poet and Nobel Prize winner Vicente Aleixandre called it. This
is where the continent ends and another begins across the water, a maritime
city that has been port of call to many different civilizations throughout
the ages. The
first to settle here were the Phoenicians, and they left behind them a rich
heritage of commerce, coinage and alphabet, and set the economy of the city
on its way through agriculture, ironwork, precious metals and fishing. Later
came the Greeks and then the Romans, responsible in great part for the
development of the city and its communications with Seville and Granada.
Three centuries of Roman rule, another three under the Visigoths and
Byzantines, and then came the turn of the Moors. This was a time of glory
for Malaga City, especially in the area of commerce, when Malaga was the
leading commercial port in the kingdom. The conquest of Granada ended this
period, and Malaga was incorporated into the kingdom of Castille in 1487
after a seige that hunger ended. A period of decline followed, but the city
did not take too long in recuperating its position as leader in
agricultural. Cereal and grape production was introduced on a large scale,
and the number of foreigners that settled in Malaga in the 18th century as a
result of this wealth amounted to five percent of the population.
The political and
administrative importance of Malaga began in 1833, and the 19th century
would also be one of industrialisation, when Malaga province was to become
the second in Spain in industrial output. The economy declined again in the
third part of the 19th century, along with the national economy, and Malaga
was not to pull itself out of this economic crisis until the 1960s.
The coastal area around Malaga was now the Costa del Sol, and it is one of
the most famous tourist areas in the entire world. Sport, culture,
construction, services: all went along for the ride, and the problem that
Malaga now faces is not how to maintain its leadership position in
world-wide tourism, but how to maintain it at the same level all the year
round. And even this would seem not to be a problem any longer.
The best way
to see Malaga is on foot, and a good place to start would be the Park. The
route from the Fuente de las Tres Gracias brings us down to the Casona del
Parque, the present home of the Town Hall, and the Palacio de la Aduana, and
from there we can head up to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle, open from 9
to 8 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays. This is one of the most interesting
monuments in the city. The
views from the Gibralfaro, over the bay and the Roman Theatre, are
spectacular, and well worth the walk up. Following this, we should cross
calle Alcazabilla to reach the Plaza de la Merced, where we find the house
that Malaga’s greatest son, Pablo Picasso, was born in. It shows prints
and ceramic pieces done by the artist. From here we cross the plaza to calle
Granada, to reach calle San Agustín, a small street filled with teahouses
where we find the Palacio de Buenavista, future seat of the Picasso Museum.
We can leave from here directly to the Cathedral, which is open to the
public from 10 to 6.45 p.m. every day except Sundays and feast days, and on
Saturdays from 10 to 5.45 p.m. Watch out for the well-known ‘La Manquita’,
the unfinished tower.
We should now cross calle Santamaría and head for the Plaza de la
Constitución, from where we can walk down the most famous shopping street
in the city, calle Larios. This ends in the Alameda Principal and the Plaza
de la Marina. The route might be easier with a map of the city, available
free at any of the five tourist offices in the city or at any hotel.
Places
to be visited
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Alcazaba
This is a Moorish construction of the 11th to 14th
centuries, residence of the court and the soldiers that guarded
it. It is certainly one of the most important historical buildings
in the city, its outstanding architectural element being the tower
that was built on Roman stone foundations and reconstructed in
modern times. One of the inside arches, built in brick and stone,
is especially interesting. Visiting times are 8.30 to 7 p.m. every
day except Tuesdays, and entrance is free. Due to restoration work
in progress, only part of the building is currently open to the
public.
Gibralfaro Castle
The Gibralfaro Castle, due to its strategic position on top of the
hill, was an important element in the defence of the city. For
this reason, perhaps, the city grew beneath the hill, and here
have been found numerous archaeological remains. The recently
restored castle now has an Interpretation Centre (not in the
language sense) and a museum. Opening hours are 9.30 to 6 p.m.,
and entry is free.
Roman Theatre
This dates from the 1st century B.C., during the time
of the Emperor Augustus. The Germanic invasions of the 3rd
century A.D. left the building in ruins, and its stone blocks and
columns were later used to build the Alcazaba, currently under
restoration.
Catedral and Cathedral Museum
This is popularly known as La Manquita, since one of the towers
was never finished. The interior is in the Renaissance style of
the 16th century, while the main façade belongs to the
18th century baroque style. Building work began in the
16th century and since then the cathedral has undergone
a great deal of restoration work. Of special interest on the
outside is the relief sculpture of the Annunciation and the patron
saints of the city, San Ciriaco and Santa Paula. Opening hours 9
to 6.45, closed on Sundays and festivals.
Picasso birthplace
The seat of the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Foundation is here, inaugurated
by the King and Queen of Spain in 1988. Housed inside are a total
of 2,500 pieces, ranging from ancient Iberian art to the
contemporary, along with the Picasso works donated by his heirs.
These comprise ceramic and graphic work dating from 1923 to 1971.
The Foundation is involved in three different areas of activity:
the Documentation Centre that specialises in the works of Picasso,
the organisation of events related to contemporary art and the
Museum itself. It is situated in the Plaza de la Merced, and
opening times are 11 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., opening only in
the mornings on Sundays. Documentation Centre
Jardín de La Concepción
These gardens are beside the Park, and are considered to have one
of the best collections of tropical and sub-tropical plants and
flowers in Europe. It was built by the Malaga nobility in the 19th
century, and has a small archaeological museum with pierces from
the Roman period. Carretera de las Pedrizas. Open: 10 a.m.
beginning of final visit of the day and closing time: 7.30 p.m.
Closed on Mondays. Tel: 952 25 21 48.
Museum of Arts and Popular Customs
Antiguo Mesón de la Victoria, built in 1632. Pasillo de Santa
Isabel. Opening times: from 10 to 1.30 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m.
Closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
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Where
to eat |
Restaurante
Antonio Martín. Specialising in Malaga and Andalusian
cuisine. Company meals. Tel: 952 227 398 and 952 227 328.
Restaurante Casa Pedro.
Specialising in traditional dishes. Pso. Marítomo de El Palo.Tel:
952 290 013.
Mesón Astorga.
Traditional Malaga cuisine, red meats and fresh fish, roast
potatoes, kid, aubergine with honey, desserts and home-made
ice-creams. Closed on Sundays. Private room, air conditioning.
C/Gerona, 11. Tel: 952 342 563 and 952 342 563.
El Varadero del Carmen. Specialising
in Alicante rice dishes and seafood. Paseo marítimo in
Pedregalejo, 1. Tel: 952 297 106.
Restaurante Commendatore.
Meats, fish and pastas. Top quality and price. Company meals.
Avenida de Pries, 4.Tel: 952 228 394.
Marisquería El Navío.
Specialising in seafood and fish, and roast meats. Varied tapas.
C/Ingeniero de la Torre Acosta, 21. Tel: 952 433 526.
Vegetarian restaurant El Legado
Celestial. Specialising in fresh tofu, buffet.
C/Peregrino, 2. Tel: 952 351 521.
Arab restaurant Al-Yamal.
Specialising in cus-cus. Blasco de Garay, 7. Tel: 952 212 046.
Restaurante La Blanca Paloma. Specialising
in meats and fish. Closed on Wednesday nights and Sundays. Avenida
Andalucía, 25. Tel: 952 359 702.
Restaurante de María.
Specialising in wine soups, rice dishes and Burgos baby lamb. Open
midday on Sundays. Avenida de Andalucía, 32. Tel: 952 397 397.
Parrilla Asador El Yantar del Pintor. Specialising
in roast lamb, kidney beans with almonds and hams. C/Fresca,
10. Tel: 952 609 522.
Casa la Agüela. Reservations
only. Tel: 952 614 570. Closed on Wednesdays. Urb. El Atabal.
Maese Pérez. Ham house.
Specialising in Castilian cooking, stews and market products.
Excellent wine cellar. C/Pelayo, 4 (beside the Post Office) Tel:
952 303 124
Marisquería Miguel.
Specialising in fish and seafood. Juan de Herrera, 24. Tel: 952
300 044.
La Taberna del Herrero. A
little piece of Castilla and León in the centre of Malaga.
Parking San Juan de la Cruz. Tel: 952 390 615.
La Pimienta Verde. Special
events and bachelor parties. Barbecue patio, meats and fish. Tel:
952 350 407.
Restaurante Valentín V.
Specialising in Dutch artichokes, oysters, fresh fish, rice with
lobster, hare, partridge and fresh foie Company meals, private
room for 50 people.Closed on Mondays. Tel: 952 295 517.
Marisquería Sal Gorda.
Specialising in all types of seafood dishes, vermouth in the
barrel. Cánovas del Castillo, 12. Tel: 952 600 031.
Marisquería Restaurante Naypa de Paco
Carrasco. Moroccan cuisine, except on festive days.
Paseo Marítimo in El Palo. Tel: 952 204 601.
Marisquería Noray. Enjoy the
great variety of seafood in our bay. Plaza del Teatro, 2. Tel: 639
675 186.
Marisquería El Volante. For
all types of celebrations. Avda. Sor Teresa Prat, 81. Tel: 952 173
238.
Consult
where to eat in Viapolis Málaga
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Where
to sleep |
Consult
where to sleep in Viapolis Málaga
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Links |
www.lacave.org.
Trekking, pot-holing and environment in the Ronda Mountains area.
www.iznarunda.com.
The web page of the Association for the Conservation and
Promotional Work of the historical heritage of Ronda "Izna
Runda".
www.arunda.com.
Tales, curiosities and images of Ronda and the Ronda Mountain
area.
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Plaza de la Merced |
FIESTAS
There are two festivals in Malaga that
stand out from the rest: Holy Week and the Malaga feria. The first is
essentially a religious event, with processions through the streets during
nine days of devotion, and all the solemnity and colour of the traditional
Holy Week celebrations.
The feria, on the other hand, is fun, and Malaga’s
August feria is one of the most famous in all of Spain. People from all
over the world come to it, to share in the music, singing, flamenco
performances, and to soak in, for a full week, the atmosphere of an
authentic Andalusian feria. There are two parts to the feria: the city
centre in the mornings and the feria grounds at Cortijo de Torres at
night, and the fun goes on until dawn every day. Apart from these two
great festivals, there is also Carnival time in Malaga in February, an
ancient tradition that had been lost and recovered again about twenty
years ago. The Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses) honours the patron saints of
the city, San Ciriaco and Santa Paula on June 18th; Corpus
Christi is on June 6th, the Night of San Juan is on June 23rd,
the processions for the Virgen del Carmen take place on the Sunday
following July 16th and the Virgen de la Victoria festival
takes place on September 8th.
GASTRONOMY
Fried fish is the dish that Malaga is famous for. It comes in all shapes
and sizes, fried in many different ways, eaten in many different places -
from the beach to the most expensive restaurants – and always served
with that friendly flair that is the essence of Malaga City. Seafood is
also important in the gastronomy of this city, with Malaga clams a
speciality that should be tried by everybody.
The land around the city is rich in fruit and
vegetables, and the mountains filled with game, and this reflects too in
the gastronomy of the city. Cooked with olive oil, this is Mediterranean
cuisine at its best, and here one can eat the best of the various dishes
that the province and city is known for far and wide: gazpacho andaluz,
ajoblanco (made with almonds, garlic, virgin olive oil, stale bread,
muscatel grapes, vinegar and salt), gazpachuelo (fish and seafood soup
with mayonnaise sauce), the various mountain dishes and. Of course,
sardines on the spit.
NATURAL SORROUNDINGS
In spite of its
cosmopolitan atmosphere, Malaga is rich in ecological resources. Its
century-old park, the Parque de Málaga, is a nature reserve in itself, with
a wide variety of tropical and sub-tropical plants perfectly at home in this
area, making this park one of the few exterior botanical gardens in Europe.
The botanical gardens of
la Concepción, beside the park, with another magnificent collection of
tropical and sub-tropical plants, was built by the Malaga nobility in the 19th
century. It also has a small archaeological museum with some fine pieces
from the Roman period, and a small palace. Close
to the city too is the Montes de Málaga Nature park, covering more than
4,500 hectares and with some 230 plant species and 160 species of animal
life. Visitors can see and know more about the wildlife here in the Las
Contadoras centre, a building dating from the 18th century. It is
from here too that a number of trekking routes into the park begin. On the
way to the park, and through it, there are plenty of ventas on the roadside
where one can enjoy the traditional country food served in these
establishments.
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