Antequera, an elegant and very Spanish country town towards the North of Málaga province, is a captivating blend of history, tradition, culture and religious faith. As a local resident and frequent visitor from Campillos by bus, I can only venture to give my own impressions of Antequera, and what it means to me. Having said this, the bus ride itself takes twice as long as a car, and is in itself an unforgettable experience for the uninitiated! So for that reason alone it is worth a mention.

Bumbling along on its way to Antequera, the bus wanders off into the villages of Bobadilla and Bobadilla Estación, where if we are unlucky (which we generally are) we get held up for what seems an age at the railway level crossing. In Bobadilla the bus fills up with portly matriarchs, garrulous grandmothers, eager youths and old men. Pretty young mothers with babes in arms climb aboard, their prams and pushchairs duly stowed away in the luggage compartment. Needless to say, the passenger list usually includes one or two intrepid Brits!

The driver meanwhile carries on his banter with the passengers, causing uproarious laughter and thus delaying us even more. His loud Flamenco pop music adds to the noise and the general ‘ambience’, and fortunately seems to be appreciated by (almost!) all.
Soon the bus turns off the beaten track, and goes rattling down into the settlement of ‘La Pelusa’, which seems to be a dead end in the middle of nowhere. It feels like going back 50 years in time, and yet it exists only a stone’s throw away from the new ’state-of the-art’, high-tech, high speed AVE railway line from Antequera Santa Ana to Córdoba! A strange anachronism, repeated without a doubt in many other parts of Southern Spain.

But like the bus, I digress. Eventually over to the left you can pick out the shape of the ‘Peña de los Enamorados’, the ‘Lovers’ Rock’, and famous landmark of Antequera. With some relief, you know you are nearly there. It is a strange phenomenon, but I have recently witnessed three attacks of travel sickness (not a pretty sight!) and one epileptic fit on board the bus along this stretch of road; not to mention a breakdown…. Hence the relief at seeing the Peña! A short climb up through the park, and past the Parador Hotel now in the process of refurbishment soon brings you into the Bus Station. The Estación de Autobuses de Antequera definitely leaves a whole lot to be desired, being extremely functional and rather dull, to say the least. Certainly room for improvement there!

But step outside and ‘WOW!.. The crystalline air hits you, sparkling, fresh and clear. A contrast after being stuck in the bus for so long maybe, but it always reminds me of Switzerland with the air quality and the view of the town nestling against a backdrop of mountains. It never fails to delight me, and the sun always seems to be shining. Walk on down the hill past the park of ‘Los Patos’ as the locals call it, and you can smell the fresh green grass, listen to the birdsong and hear the wind blowing in the graceful trees. (Nostalgia for England here!)

Then there’s the magnificent bullring. Now I am not a fan of bullfighting, far from it. Yet sitting in the dentist’s waiting room opposite, whilst anticipating one’s forthcoming encounter in the dentist’s chair, one surely cannot fail to be inspired by the impressive view of the bullring against an azure sky. I doubt many dentists’ waiting rooms can boast such a magnificent and distracting view. But a few steps on from here will bring you to the elegant archway called ‘Puerta de Estepa’. It was built only 8 years ago to replace the original much older arch, which was being damaged by modern traffic. It marks the entrance into the town from Seville, via the small town of Estepa.

Adjacent is the lovely open space of the Plaza de Castilla. Here people can relax and enjoy walking in the sunshine, admiring the flowerbeds or just sitting on a bench under the shady trees.

On a warm summer evening
In that special magic light
That comes ‘twixt day and night,
And the sky is luminous
With maybe just one star
And a crescent moon,
People will gravitate here.
They’ll take their ‘Paseo’,
Their evening walk,
Or just sit and watch
And talk.

Dramatic in the middle of the square are the figures of ‘Los Enamorados de la Peña’, the sculpture of the two lovers forever locked in a final embrace before hurling themselves off the top of the rock, as legend has it. A Moorish girl, Tagzona, and a Christian youth, Tello, whose parents would never have agreed to their union, fell in love at first sight. Fountains play around the base of the sculpture, and a simple and poignant verse inscribed on a plaque beneath reads:

Seeing how impossible was their love,
Held fast in a close embrace,
The two lovers hurled themselves
Down from the rock.

The verse bears the name of ‘Leonardo Valle’ 1445.

At the far end of the square is ‘La Plaza’, a café and patisserie where drinks and snacks can be enjoyed both inside, and outside in the square.

Now you have a choice: you can wander off down the tree-lined walkway, the Paseo Royal, towards the very useful supermarkets and the Veronica shopping centre if you like. This lovely area next to the Plaza de Castilla is where the horses and riders, looking splendid in their smart dress, assemble under the trees for the judging ceremony of the Summer Feria of Antequera. Alternatively you can take the main street, the Alameda de Andalucía, directly opposite and into the centre of the town.

Here, as in much of Antequera, the orange trees line your route. There is nothing so magical to behold as the shiny dark green leaves cradling the glowing oranges, so simple and so beautiful, against the blue of the sky. These are marmalade oranges, the kind that are naturally bitter. But here they cannot be used as unfortunately they become mouldy and contaminated. So early in the year they are picked, loaded into rubbish skips, then thrown away!

Soon the Alameda de Andalucía divides into two. Here you have the happy choice of continuing ahead along the c/Infante Don Fernando, ‘El de Antequera’, as the road sign reads. Or you could bear left along c/Cantareros.

But why not continue along c/Infante Don Fernando? You will pass several historic churches on your way, all of them well worth a visit. You will also pass the Town Hall exhibition rooms, the ‘Sala de Exposiciones de Claustro del Ayuntamiento’, which are accessed from this same street. Recently there has been a fascinating and moving exhibition there of unedited photos taken by amateurs during the Civil War. Continue along the street, right up to the Plaza San Sebastian at the end. From there you have a wonderful view of the castle and the beginning of the old town -The ‘Casco Antiguo’-the really ancient part of Antequera.

The Tourist Information Office is conveniently situated here, just off the Plaza San Sebastian, in c/Incarnation. Adjacent, in the Plaza Coso Viejo, you will find the Museum of Antequera full of interesting exhibits and artefacts, from those of religious and sacred art to contemporary art, through to ancient prehistoric remains. Located in the wonderful 18th century baroque ‘Palacio de Nájera’, with its outstandingly beautiful tower, the museum occupies two floors which are placed around a cloistered patio of Tuscan arches. The museum merits a visit for its stunning architecture as much as for its exciting exhibits.

Taking pride of place in the square is the imposing figure of Don Infante Fernando, Conqueror of the town of Antequera. He sits mounted on his noble horse, raised high on a marble plinth.

From here on, if you want to plunge (or rather walk up!) into the Old Town, you must be ready to climb steep inclines and ancient steps. For the old town was built on the slope surrounding the Castle, the Alcazaba, of Arab origins as its name suggests. In 1582 a bell tower was added to the ‘Homenaje Tower’, making it the largest tower of the castle and the emblem of the town of today. A visit to the conveniently place Tourist Information Office will supply you with all the information you need to visit these historic places.

If, however, you had decided to take the c/Cantareros, you would have found yourself walking down a long and narrow street full of character. Down this street, with its tall buildings providing welcome shade in the heat of Summer, you will come across countless interesting shops and cafés.

A favourite of many is the Café Central. Full of atmosphere, it is cosy, friendly and welcoming with delicious coffee, snacks and meals. An ideal place to meet your friends. Specialities include a variety of exotic types of coffee, from café Dominicana, served with Cointreau and cream to café Sevilla, served with Tia Maria and cream, to mention only two. Delicious ‘molletes’, are served here, as in most cafés in Antequera. The ‘mollete’ is a speciality of the town, reputed to have its origins in Arab days. Molletes are never round, but rather ‘trapezium’ shaped, a kind of lop-sided square! The economical recipe made it very popular when times were hard. The humble mollete has since leapt in popularity, and is enjoyed all over Spain with the reputation of being the ‘Ambassador of Antequera’. It is even exported to Canada as a delicacy.

Intriguing walkways and passageways link the c/Cantareros with c/Infante Don Fernando. One of these is c/Comedias, recently pedestrianised and full of local atmosphere. It has a varied selection of clothes shops, shoe shops, an interesting discount shop and a Perfumeria to name but a few.

However, you could continue on down c/Cantareros and bear left at the crossroads into c/Lucena, and past the Convent of ‘Madre de Dios’ on your left. (Recently some stones fell from the tower of the Convent to the road below, but nobody was hurt!) Now make a right hand detour down c/Duranes. This street is sometimes called ‘Bond St’ or ‘Shoe Street’ by the English, because in addition to all the other shops there are quite a number of shoe shops! At the end of this street you will find yourself in the lovely Plaza San Francisco, where the covered market is situated in a dignified old stone building. The stalls inside sell the usual market fare, including delicious and colourful fruit and vegetables and are well worth a browse!

One of Antequera’s treasures to my mind, lies just behind the Plaza San Francisco. Wander round into the Plaza de Fernandez Viagas, and you will find yourself in an elegant square which takes your breath away. Built in Italian style, the buildings which surround this large and gracious square are mainly residential flats with shops beneath. Painted white with yellow borders and colourful awnings, they gleam vibrant and dazzling against a clear blue sky. A porticoed walkway all around lends an extra touch of elegance. There are palm trees, orange trees and potted shrubs. You can sit on a bench under the palm trees, or else in the sun if you prefer! Take your photos; some stunning ones can be made here! You can even play a game of giant chess if you feel in the mood, or just admire the trees and plants and the bust of Fernandez Viagas, the first President of the Junta de Andalucía. After a fascinating walk around Antequera, what a refreshing and beautiful place to stop and relax!

Stop a while and take a look at the lovely library building opposite, which is very old and used to be a monastery. Your eyes will be drawn upwards to the bell tower, which is above and just to the left of the library. For here, teetering high on long legs in their lofty nest, a family of storks can be seen! At times one wonders how they fare in the brilliant sun up there, but obviously they thrive. The frame of the nest was ordered to be built by the ‘Ayuntamiento’, seeing that the storks were nesting there anyway. So that the birds did not cause damage to the ancient tower, they decided to build it of a strong yet very light material, similar to Titanium.

But Antequera is not just another delightful town to visit. As well as being full of history, there is a long list of cultural activities available to those fortunate enough to live there. Art exhibitions abound, concerts of Flamenco music and dance, poetry readings and a range of classes run by the ‘Casa de Cultura’, from Yoga to Belly dancing! There are choral societies, excellent sports facilities, a gym and a large swimming pool; the list is endless.

There is so much more to see; there are the Dolmens of Antequera, the ancient tombs which date back at least 5,000 years; El Torcal, spectacular with its strange primeval rock formations, high in the mountains nearby. Then there are also significant Roman remains. But pay a visit to the Tourist Information Office for more on these.

There is a varied choice of restaurants, and there are excellent hotels to suit all tastes and budgets from the two star ‘Pensions’ to the elegance of the Antequera Golf Hotel. Despite its lamentable bus station, Antequera has frequent daily bus links to Malaga, and many other towns in the province. With the arrival of the new AVE high-speed train, access to Antequera has never been easier. What better time to make a visit, and then travel home again in style!

On the other hand of course, you could just go home by bus…!