Alora lies about 40km north east from Malaga on the N357 in Malaga Province. The town overlooks the Guadalhorce River and is surrounded by the mountain ranges of Sierra de Huma (1191m) to the north; Sierra de Aguas (941m) to the west; and the Hacho Mountains. It is border territory here between the 21st century hustle of Malaga and the Spanish ‘campo’ which has remained unchanged for centuries.

An original Phoenician settlement lay on top of Cerro de las Torres (Hill of the Towers), the hill which dominates Alora. Later fortified by the Roman occupiers, Cerro de las Torres became the site on which the Moors built their Arabic castle with its unique ‘pointed horseshoe’ arch. There is also a traditional Arabic ‘mirador’ or viewpoint for admiring the surrounding countryside.

The castle, punctuated by several towers, curls around the top contours of the hill which is in the process of being planted with trees as part of a new environmental heritage project. Inside the castle grounds commemorative plaques are built into walls of the castle gardens and there are gravestones everywhere.

Two statues of Jesus and Mary, named Jesus of the Towers and Most Holy Mary of the Sorrows, and used in the annual Semana Santa processions, were sculpted by a local Spanish artist, Navas Parejo, and stand for most of the year in the chapel of the old Arabic castle.

Below the castle, on Plaza Baja de la Despedia, stands the 17th century Mannerist style parish church of Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion. Next to the church is the old Escuela de Cristo which houses the town’s museum. On the other side of town (to the north) stands the Convento de Flores. The Virgin of the Flowers is a fellow patron saint of the town and her image stands in the 16th century Chapel of Our Lady of the Flowers on the Avda Virgen de Flores.

Down in the ‘pueblo’ there are narrow cobbled roads, some lined with lemon trees, and a one-way system is in place for traffic. The main streets of Calle Vera Cruz and Avenida de Cervantes (named after Miguel de Cervantes who wrote Don Quixote and who lived in Alora from 1587-1593) meet in front of the Casa de la Cultura which houses meeting rooms, the local library and a bar where the senior citizens of the town can meet to have a drink, chat, play dominoes and eat cheap lunches.

On Avenida Pablo Ruiz Picasso, the road which runs into Alora from the northerly El Chorro direction, there is a patisserie and internet café called Los Arcos where the cappuccino topped with whipped cinnamon cream is to die for. On the outskirts of town towards Pizarra an old cortijo has been converted into Restaurante Los Caballos. Cooking is done on a huge grill over an enormous open fire and the food is delicious. The best burgers in town can be had at the Old Post Office on Calle Santa Ana. Beneath the glass top of the bar counter there are hundreds of postage stamps commemorating the building’s former use.

Calle Santa Ana runs down to the junction with the pleasant Plaza de la Fuente de Arriba which has a fountain and some decent bars. Round the corner from Calle Santa Ana is Calle Cantarranas and close to the junction there is a bronze sculpture of a woman holding a basket of oranges and lemons. She stands beneath a tiled depiction of citrus trees seen through a Moorish arch. The sculpture was worked by Mario Amaya early in the 20th century as a tribute to the working women of the area. Other local produce includes grapes, olives and almonds.

During the last weekend in April the statue of Our Lady of the Head, who is also a patron saint of Alora, along with Our Lady of the Flowers, leaves the 17th century Chapel of St Bridget close to Alora railway station in the district of La Estación and is paraded in a romería or festival through the streets of La Estación. Then, from May to July, there are open-air music and dance celebrations (verbenas) in the small villages around Alora.

At the end of July the Feria Réal (Royal Fair) takes place in the Plaza Fuente Arriba. Events include a cattle fair, sporting events, and competitions for threshing songs and the making of Aloran soup. Also in July is the Festival de Cante Grande (Festival of Flamenco Singing) organised by the Flamenco Club of Alora. This helps to both promote new singers and to keep alive the tradition of flamenco which is so evocative of Spain.