Situated just 30 km to the west of Antequera, Campillos is a typical ‘pueblo blanco’ with a difference. Instead of clinging picturesquely to a rocky hillside, Campillos is mostly flat. There are a few gentle inclines in some of the streets but it is on the whole very convenient, especially for its older inhabitants.

Leading off the A384 from Antequera, C/Real is the principal street and takes you into the main square, the lovely Plaza de España. This is in my view the most attractive part of the town, right in the centre. It is here that the impressively beautiful church takes pride of place in the square. Next to the church are the carefully tended gardens, with ornate yellow ceramic pots full of flowers, pools and fountains and a pergola woven around with sweet smelling honeysuckle. Stone benches are dotted around so that you can choose to sit in the sun or in the shade and cool yourself in the heat of the day. Relax and admire the beautiful flowers and the greenery.

When you’re ready, a treat awaits you. Take a look inside the church, which is dedicated to Santa Maria del Reposo. Like the town of Campillos, it dates from the 16th century and has lovely Baroque features, particularly the ornate archway above the main door. Inside, the main altar and the numerous side altars are a delight to the eye, adorned with exquisite displays of flowers. The church is said to be one of the most outstanding examples of baroque architecture in the Málaga area, and for that reason alone Campillos merits a visit. Although it would benefit from some renovation, its air of dignified mellow old age somehow enhances its beauty.

Opening off the Plaza de España is the C/Santa Maria del Reposo, which will take you to the big open space next to the Parque José Ma Hinojosa, and a grand avenue of tall leafy trees. This wonderful space is used for the busy weekly local market held on Tuesdays, where as you might expect you can buy pretty much anything! On Summer evenings, you can sit and relax outside one of the bars under the leafy trees, and watch the world of Campillos go by.

Just behind these cafés and bars you’ll find one of the highlights of Campillos today, the recently opened museum called ‘Memoria de La Vida’, or Memoirs of Life. The little Museum sets out with great sensitivity to depict life in the town through the senses, transporting the visitor from the past to the present using authentic photos and interesting artefacts that have survived the generations. There are two interesting videos being shown continuously, one a pictorial overview of Campillos, and the other showing details of the Semana Santa processions in all their colour and splendour.

Entry to the museum is free, and it is currently open from 7pm to 9pm. Visitors are made to feel very welcome, and leave inspired by the vision of the reality of Campillos today and a glimpse of its prosperous future.

Definitely worth a mention is the elite private secondary boarding school, the Colegio San José, just outside Campillos. Originally a reformatory school, its Spartan conditions were well known to many far and wide. ‘You’ll be sent to San José’, or even ‘You’ll be sent to Campillos!’ was the dire threat to youngsters who were not making the grade. Here they were made to study, with harsh punishments meted out if they didn’t! Whilst retaining its strict regime, the school is now the prerogative of well-to-do families expecting their children to achieve excellent academic results.

Campillos boasts several lovely lagoons. They can be reached by continuing on past the Colegio San José. Here is a wild and beautiful nature reserve, full of bright flowers in Springtime and an abundant variety of wild birds, including moorhens, seagulls and waders; an ornithologist’s paradise! But the ‘stars’ of the lagoons must be the flamingos, now gracing these waters. Some are said to have moved across here in preference to the lagoon at Fuente de Piedra. So there we have it, another ‘gem’ of Campillos. Certainly worth exploring, especially while the flamingos are in residence!

Campillos enjoys several major annual feasts and festivals, the most important being Semana Santa as in most Spanish towns. For most of the year the townsfolk devote themselves untiringly to the elaborate preparations for this one glorious week of processions which are spectacular, colourful and very moving. Semana Santa in Campillos has even been declared an event of national tourist interest.

The Summer Feria of Campillos begins on 15th August and lasts for two weeks. For such a small town it is an incredible event. As well as the usual razzmatazz of candy floss, flamenco dresses and wine, there are high calibre evening shows and impressive equestrian displays. Campillos succeeds in attracting top class performers as its highlights. Last year for example Lorena, winner of ‘OT’ (Operación Triunfo), the Spanish equivalent of ‘Pop Idol’, delighted audiences with her performance, as did ‘El Arrebato’, the well known Flamenco pop artist!

Campillos offers a wide choice of bars and restaurants. There is even a relatively new Chinese restaurant called Chino Asia which is comfortable and conventional in décor. But perhaps the highest rated restaurant is that of the Hotel Restaurante Méson Los Chopos. Just outside the town off the Jerez road, the spacious restaurant of Los Chopos offers a wide-ranging menu in pleasant surroundings.

Before we leave the subject of food, Campillos holds a little secret. One of its local specialities is of course Gazpacho soup, normally served cold, full of nutritious ingredients and wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. But it is said that in the early days when the people of Campillos were poor, they would use every available ingredient. This even included the peel of oranges, which would otherwise have been thrown away. Not only that, but the soup was also served hot! And so a recipe was handed down by word of mouth for a HOT Gazpacho soup. So if you’re hungry on a cold Winter’s day, here’s an idea for you to try!

Campillos originally derived its wealth from pig farming and later from leather and the leather fashion trade. After years of poverty, it is now a flourishing and prosperous town. The original townhouses are beautifully maintained, for they represent the wealth of the townsfolk. As often as not the house-proud ladies of Campillos will be out in force in their dressing gowns and slippers, ‘flipping’ with those fronds on the end of a stick, and sweeping and mopping the pavements! How many of us English ladies would dare emerge in the street clad in our nightwear? But the strange thing is that if we did, then no-one would bat an eyelid!

Now there is more to Campillos than meets just the eye…you may occasionally become aware of that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ drifting on the air when the wind is in the right direction. Call it a ‘hint of pork’, if you like, but remember that the town owes much of its present wealth and prosperity to our friend the humble pig!

So next time you are nearby, why not stop and have a look around Campillos? You will soon realise it is well worth a visit. You can approach it on the A357 from Málaga or on the A384 from Antequera. Campillos is also well connected by train, with its station just outside the town.

However, it has to be said that the station of Antequera Santa Ana, with the new high- speed AVE train service is in fact a little bit closer to Campillos than it is to Antequera itself! So, Antequera, beware! Now Campillos really is going places!