Driving down from the Sierra de Torcal, we had a great view over Antequera. A big castle is surrounded by a town of white houses, with many church towers peaking out.
Antequera |
The Romans gave this town the name Antikaria (old town) because of the Dolmens (large stone monoliths) left behind by previous settlements.
View from the castle to the Sierra de Torcal, still covered in clouds |
Peña de los Enamorados |
Antequera castle |
We found a parking close to the centre (37.017795, -4.553461), from where we took a first stroll through town and to the tourist information.
Portichuelo Chapel or Virgen del Socorro Chapel |
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen |
The next day, we visited the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, which is opulently decorated, as are most of the churches in Antequera. The coffered ceiling in Mudejar style was beautiful, and also the huge altar carved from wood was impressive. The overwhelming mix of gold, patterns and cupids was funny, as if rich citizens had tried to get rid of their sins by paying for more and more decorations.
Through a beautiful big arch called Arco de los Gigantes, we entered the oldest part of town and the Alcazaba – the Moorish fortress. This place was used already by the Phoenician and Romans before the Moors built the first fortress on this hill. But the Dolmens just outside the city are evidence that this region was inhabited from about 3,800 BC onwards.
Arco de Los Gigantes |
The church next to the castle is one of the more humble ones of Antequera, but it isn’t in use any more. Next to it, the remains of a big Roman bath can be seen.
Colegiata de Santa Maria la Mayor |
As it was Valentine’s Day, we decided to spoil ourselves with a nice lunch at restaurant Coso San Francisco – “Arte de Cozina”.
We were seated in the covered patio with a fireplace on one side. The coal from the fire was put into a bowl and under our table, which was covered with a thick table cloth. This is the traditional way of heating and it was really comfortable!
The restaurant specialises in traditional recipes so we tried Porra – a cream similar to Gazpacho in 3 different variations: blanco – just with garlic, naranja – the winter version with oranges and one with tomato and peppers – all of them very delicious.
3 different kinds of Porra |
Then we had Galipuche – a soup with wild asparagus served with a thin tortilla on top, followed by Porrilla de Espinacas – a pot with spinach and chickpeas.
Galipuche |
For all the dishes, we received a card, explaining the history of this recipe, the ingredients and how to prepare it.
Porrilla de Espinacas |
With this delicious menu, we had a white wine from this region – a dry moscatel – the perfect accompaniment.
Mmmmhhh … |
Sweet treat from the house |
Afterwards we needed a nap, oh sorry, a siesta 😉
Flower of the Day |
When we have recovered from our Valentine’s lunch, we will explore more in this area. We are especially curious about the Dolmen – more next.