Information about Alfarnatejo

Alfarnatejo is situated on The Route of Olive Oil and Mountains. The natives are called Alfarnateños and the town´s nickname is Palancos. Alfarnatejo is 50 km from Malaga and 42 km from the coast at Torre del Mar. The easiest route is to take the road between Riogordo and Periana and then turn left just before Mondron, driving through Pulgarín and up towards the fresh, clean mountain air at an altitude of 858 metres, where eagles and hawks fly circles in the sky beneath the so called Pyrenees of the south! The scenery is stunning and dramatic as the lower green mountains appear insignificant against the majestic Mount Chamizo and El Gallo both a mere 1.637 metres high! As remote as these mountains seem mans presence has been here since the Neolithic era with archaeological remains found in the Sabar river gorges and the caves of Chamizo Morronquera in the Tajos de Vilo where Paleolithic drawings can be seen in the Cortijo de la Cueva.

On entering the village one immediately steps back in time to when motorised transport was still unimagined and mules and goats mingled with humans in the flat wide streets. This is still a real farming community where laptops and mobile phones seem as alien as E.T. Nestling below the mountains is the Parque Municipal, Miguel Alba Luque, named after the last Republican mayor of the town. Here you can rest on a bench or exercise on the communal gym equipment.

The 18th century parish church of Santo Cristo de Cabrilla can be found amidst the simple houses, a rectangular structure traditional to the period with its Mudejar style fired red brick tower and two naves separated by semicircular arches. Back to modern times we find cars parked in the village square, a Santander bank, the town hall, four tapas bars and a restaurant overlooking the park and mountains. If you visit the village on the first weekend in August you can join in the festivities of its main annual Fiesta of Gazpacho, sample this delicious cold soup and enjoy the Flamenco competition until the wee small hours, stamina permitting!