Experience the best of Antequera

Antequera lies in the middle of Andalusia, in Málaga province, on a plain between the coast and the mountains. A Moorish fortress, the Alcazaba, looks down on the whitewashed old town, where more than thirty churches and convents rise in Renaissance and Baroque style. Its dolmens, Menga, Viera and El Romeral, are huge Neolithic burial chambers and are listed by UNESCO.

To the south, El Torcal is a nature reserve of strangely eroded limestone pillars and rocky corridors, and the Peña de los Enamorados, a rock outcrop that resembles a reclining face, rises on the horizon. The Fuente de Piedra lagoon, north-west of town, is a breeding ground for flamingos. Málaga lies to the south, and the gorge of El Chorro is to the south-west.

Porra antequerana, a thick cold soup of tomato, bread and olive oil, and mollete, a soft round bread eaten for breakfast with olive oil and tomato, are the local classics. The surrounding hills are olive groves, and almond sweets fill the pastry shops. Summers are very hot, and the plain is greenest and gentlest in spring.