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The
village of Casares, only 14 kilometres from the bustling and cosmopolitan
Costa
del Sol, unexpectedly displays to the visitor the most authentic character
of those mountain villages that have miraculously avoided an absurd and poorly
understood modernity. This locality has preserved in its urban quarter an
ambience of quieter times while, to the extent permitted by good taste, making
those renovations to its infrastructure that modern life demands. Such balance
is anything but easy, but in Casares it has been achieved and it is considered
one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, as evidenced by the fact that
in 1978 it was designated a Historical-Artistic Complex. For more information
about property for sale in Spain
in or near Casares please contact us.
Its municipal territory stretches between the Costa del Sol, of which it is a part, the Ronda highlands and the Gibraltar plain. As a result, it shows some of the characteristics of each of those three zones, although the mountain region more influences its appearance than the other two. There are deep gorges in the direction of Sierra Bermeja, small pine woods stretching toward the peak of Los Reales (1,440 metres) and limestone heights in Crestellina, at the entrance to the Genal valley, where a majestic community resides: a colony of Griffon vultures that can easily be seen in full flight. In the western part of the municipality the River Guadiaro, after receiving the waters of the Genal, opens up its valley to a succession of orchards and gardens that advance towards the sea among gentle hills covered by grain fields and a few grazing lands, a clear forerunner to the border landscape of Cadiz
Prehistoric man left his imprint in different places in this municipality, as, for example, the caves and shelters of Ferrete, Crestellina, Pelliscoso, the La Novia hill, Utrera and the farmstead of Alechipe (or perhaps Alepiche), where remains have also been discovered that may have belonged to the Roman city of Lacipo, which seems to have been built over an Iberian-Phoenician town. What’s more, Casares came to have its own coinage during the Roman era.
It is hard to establish today just what role Casares played in Betica during the Roman period but it is obvious that it must have been of definite importance considering the archaeological remains that have been discovered, such as the aforementioned city of Lacipo.
There is also no doubt that the present urban zone is of Arabic origin, as shown by the ruins of the fortress on top of the rocky hill on which the village lies. From a comparison of Casares with other localities in Malaga it is reasonable to suppose that farm communities sprang up in the surroundings of the castle and with time came to form the village. After the taking of Ronda in 1485 it surrendered to the Christian troops and was granted as a feudal holding to Rodrigo Ponce de León, Duke of Cadiz.
The residents of Casares were not only affected
by, but actively participated in. the Moorish uprising, which in this area
was put down by Don Juan de Austria, and in the second half of the sixteenth
century a pact was signed in this village that brought to an end one of the
Moorish rebellions. In the late eighteenth century (1795) Manilva
was separated from Casares and given the privileges of a villa (royal burgh),
and only a few years later the population found itself caught up in the confrontations
with the invading French army. Casares and Cadiz
had the distinction of being the only population centres that could not be
taken by the Napoleonic troops.
Fiestas
The most important local fiestas take place during the first fortnight in
August, and the Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Christ of the Good Death) fiestas,
better known as the Altar Mayor (Main Altar) fiestas, are celebrated in the
first week of September. The patron saint day for Nuestra Señora del
Rosario del Campo (Our Lady of the Rosary of the Field) is celebrated in early
September, but the pilgrimage to her hermitage is held beforehand, in May.
The Secadero neighbourhood fiestas also enjoy great popularity.
Food
One of the most customary dishes in Casares is rabbit, prepared in
a variety of ways but especially “a la montañesa” (mountain
style). Its cuisine is also distinguished by sopa de maimones (a soup of Arabic
origin), gachas (a soup made of flour and seasoning), guisado de patatas,
(potato stew) morcilla de chivo (goat sausage) and, in summer, gazpacho (a
cold soup), which in this village has its own distinctive flavour.
How to get there:
Turn off the AP-7 (N340) expressway at Manilva
and take the A-377. After some ten kilometres on this road take the turning
for Casares and it will be about three kilometres more.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Calle Villa, 29 (29690). Telephone: 952 894 126; Fax: 952 894 017.
Tourist Office. Tel: 952 895
Casares property
Casares
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