Seascapes
that characterizes Andalusia.
The top attraction is the twintowered Palace of Mondragon, which was the residence of Muslim rulers and then Christian conquerors. But perhaps my favorite stood solitary in a tiny square — a 14th-century brick minaret turned bell tower with a typically Islamic horseshoe arch.
Also tucked away, in the new town near the celebrated 18thcentury Plaza de Toros that many consider a cradle of Spanish bullfighting, was my other Ronda favorite: the tavern Bodega el Socorro. In the spattering rain, I followed there a steady stream of hungry faithful who emerged from a packed, incense-filled Mass with the visiting bishop. Like them, I made a serious dent into the forest of overhanging hams from acorn-fed, blackhoofed Iberian pigs.
Misty hamlets
Terra-cotta-roofed homes are clustered in Frigiliana, a former Islamic stronghold that sits high above the Mediterranean coast and looks out over the beach-resort town of Nerja. PHOTOS BY GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO/AP
My pick was Grazalema, fitting snugly in the crag of a fircovered, fog-shrouded mountain. I reached it by climbing more than 5,000 feet on twisting roads that looked more Swiss than Spanish.
Between the two 17th-century churches that bracket terra-cottaroofed homes are many reminders of its long history, including a water fountain with two wideeyed faces as water spouts, said to date to Visigoth times.
For my last stop, I visited two pueblos keeping watch over a spot where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.
The walled Vejer de la Frontera winds itself like a conch shell around a hilltop castle and even boasts a couple of windmills.
The former Islamic stronghold of Frigiliana looks out over Nerja, a popular beach-resort town, and hills covered in avocado plantations. Potted flowers, brightly painted door and window frames and scores of ceramics shops give bursts of color, but keep looking down: The intricately black-and-white pebble mosaics that pave the alleys and steps are the true standout.
For my last pueblo blanco, I left the driving to the public bus.