Casarabonela, Andalucia, Spain

Casarabonela is a delightful little town with a population of less than 3000 people located between Alora and Burgos on route to Ronda and approximately 40 kilometers from Malaga. The characteristics and layout of the village streets are pure Moorish, winding this way and that with many attractive, traditional homes in quiet winding streets that have changed little over the decades. It makes a pleasant half day trip if you are staying in the area. Casarabonela conserves its Arabic chracteristics and therefore the colour and taste of the white villages in Andalucia, with quiet squares, such as the area around the town hall with its small building with projecting lintelled balconies, its lamps and clock on the fornt, and houses with niches where they place images of religious devotion.

The town is famous for its spring water that comes from the nearby mountains and there are several drinking fountains located in the village providing cool refreshment for visitors on a hot summers day. The supply of spring water means that several bottling plants are located in the area.

The most notable buildings in the village are the town hall and the Parroquial de Santiago Parish Church. The Church was built in the 15th century on the site of an older mosque on the highest part of the village, close to the ruins of the Moorish castle. The building is late Gothic in style, although it has been reformed various times over the centuries.

There is also a small Museum of Sacred Art in the church, with paintings from the 18th century to modern times, sculptures, books and display cases of various pieces, including a white silver cross made in 1640, and a 19th century silver Crown of Thorns. Another museum in the village is the Molino de Los Mizos in Calle Albaiva, is a perfectly preserved oil mill, several centuries old, which functioned up until the 1960s.

You can contact the tourist office on 952 456 067