Beginning from the Sierry de Grazalema, crossing the Serranía de Ronda and the Natural Park of Alcornacales and further to the coast of Portugal, this is the famous route of the white -casares-y-estepona,villages of Spain.

Starting from the Sierra de Grazalema, through the Serrania de Ronda and the Parque Nacional de los Alcornocales, and continuing not far from the coast and all the way, it is sometimes said, to Portugal, is Spain’s famous ruta de los pueblos blancos. The white -casares-y-estepona,villages are important and appealing for a number of reasons. First and foremost their stylistic essence has been preserved and they still offer a realistic insight into traditional rural Andalusia, both contemporary and past. The white-washed houses have been used to repel pests and heat since Roman and Moorish times, and give the villages their characteristic style, substituting the stone-color of the corresponding hamlets in France and Italy.

Don’t miss Genalhuacil overlooking the Rio Genal, whose streets boast a permanent outdoor art exhibition, the fruit of a fascinating annual competition in which selected artists sojourn in the village to complete their work. A competition is held and if their work is selected it is then installed in the streets. Among the enduring pieces are two statues set in the real-life context of the village: a humpbacked elderly woman tiredly pulling herself up a banister to climb up a one of the steep hills of the village, and of some colorful and mischievous looking cats perched up on the roofs of the houses bordering the church square.

Be aware that the roads between the villages are sinuous and that it may take a while to travel the 10 to 20 kilometres that typically separate the villages. The upside is that you will be traveling through watery canyons forests full of cork oaks, fig trees, acebuche (wild dwarf olive), and a variety of pines. As you near each village, the trees are substituted for olive, citrus, and avocado, grenadine, and other more consciously cultivated species. Most cork oaks are stripped every 10 years or so, and this in woods well away from the village, so you will instantly be able to recognize this species. Low brush-type plants include a variety of flowering cistuses including the spectacular Montpellier Rock Rose, lavender, rosemary, oregano, thyme, mint, and much more.

The ‘route’ is sometimes traveled with a view to taste the culinary specialties of each village or sub-region in the itinerary, specialties which tend to be wine and cold meats. A common stretch is from Arcos de la Frontera to Castellar de la Frontera, about 250 kilometers. Some of the most famous villages on this route are Grazalema, Setenil, Ronda, Montejaque, Gaucín, Genalhuacil, Casares, and Castellar.