ITS WHITE FORM RISES ABOVE THE GUADALHORCE VALLEY, POINTING OUT THE WAY. ROMAN AND GOTH, YET PROFOUNDLY ARAB, ALORA IS FULL OF BRIGHT ANDALUSIAN CHARM.

39 kilometres from Málaga, in the heart of the Guadalhorce valley, is Alora, a beautiful town lying 200 metres above sea level. Its highly productive and extensive agriculture, its magnificent cuisine, its interesting calendar of events, vast cultural heritage and the abundance of nature here, make a visit to Alora a must.

Roman origins.
Archaeological remains tell of a Roman Alora. Among all the pieces found, a cylindrical monolith stands out, some 50 centimetres in diameter and almost a metre high, cut in the first century, at the time of the emperor Domicianus, on which can be read: Municipium Iluritanum. Today, this find can be seen on the patio of the main church.
Ancient Iluro, belonging to the province of Bética, gained such importance that its citizens had Roman privileges. Despite suffering heavy taxation, its growth continued due to the viatality of its livestock farming and the fertility of its soils for crops such as wheat, barley, honey, wine and oil. This incessant development activated trade with the capital of the Empire.

In the 5th century, the Vandals took Iluro. From this period of Gothic domination, substantial remains can be found in the fortress, built into the Monte de las Torres.
The Arabs entered Alora after conquering Málaga. Its inhabitants, far from putting up a fight, negotiated the hand-over of control of the town to the invaders. So, all those who so wished, held on to their property without surrendering their religion, laws and customs. In return, it was agreed to pay the Arabs the same tributes that had been owed to the Visigoth monarchy. During the re-conquest, Alora was surrounded on numerous occasions. Its strategically placed castle, which overlook part of the Hoya de Málaga, was highly prized by the Castillian army. The Catholic Kings considred that Alora had to be taken before Málaga could be forced to surrender. The Christian troops besieged the town with 20.000 infantry, 9.000 horsemen and a distinguished artillery contingent. On 10 June, 1484, after nine days of fighting, Alora fell.

Remains.
Alora, despite the housing boom, retains the structure of a typical Andalusian town, The ancient site is scattered over one of the sides of the hill upon which the castle stands. The bastion, possibly erected by the Visigoths and later extended by the Arabs, retains two towers and a horseshoe arch in one of the stretches of the wall.
Of all the monuments, the La Encarnación church, which took a century to build (1600-1699), stands out. Erected over a enormous Tuscan columns covered with wooden frameworks. Another interesting building is the 16th century Veracruz hermitage, built to commemorate the victory over some Moorish rebels.
Just two kilometres from the town, on a peak from which one of the best panoramas of the Guadalhorce valley can be seen, is the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de las Flores, built in the 16th century and restored in the 18th.
Other areas of historic interest are Arroyo Hondo, from the Iberian era and the Roman reamins of the villa and baths at Canca and the Villa del Tesorillo.

Fiestas in Alora
Of all celebrations, Semana Santa (Easter holy week) stands out. "Jueves Santo" (holy Thursday) celebrates 'la Despedia', in which the effigies of Our Lady of Sorrows and Jesus of Nazareth say goodby to one another with the elaborate mano-euvring of their respective thrones.
Local folklore includes the Alora fandango, ploughing and threshing songs and seesaw songs. Many experts even consider Alora the birthplace of the Malagueña Flamenco style.
Obviously we cannot forget to mention the "verdiales", so famous and common in these parts. On I May, after the procession to the Ermita de las Cruces, the bands of Almogía, Cártama and Pizarra come together to celebrate a verdiales fiesta. The Feria Real (royal fair) is also very popular, at which the "Sopas Perotas" competition is the most curious of the events. This dish is Alora's most typical culinary speciality. Food, celebrations, history, nature, hospitality... all good reasons for visiting Alora. You won't be desappointed.

Basic datata
Size: 103 Km²
Population: 13.262
Residents known as: Aloreños or Perotes
Monuments: Castle, Church of the Incarnation, Flores Convent, Veracruz Chapel.
Geographical situation: In the Guadalhorce Valley 40 kilometres from Malaga and 78 from Ronda.
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza Fuente Arriba, 15. 29500.
Phone: 952 496 100 Fax: 952 497 000
Places to be visited
Castle-Cemetery
All that remains for us to see of this complex is the castle-cemetery. The main chapel has a Gothic vault, known as The Towers in days gone by. The rest of the building has long since fallen down and became a cemetery for the people of the town.
Church of the Incarnation
This is the third largest church in the province. Its interior is divided into three naves separated by thick stone columns with wooden arches on top. The style is 17th century mannerist.
Flores Convent
The Convento de Flores is a religious building dating from the 16th century, with a single nave structured in timber. The chapel is Baroque in style.
Hermitage of Santa Brígida
Situated beside the railway station, this building dates from the 16th century, when the fresco inside was done.
Chapel of La Veracruz
The Capilla del Cristo de la Veracruz is a small 16th century construction, irregular in floor plan and with notable restructuring carried out over the centuries, leaving us without any real idea of what the original was actually like.
The Humilladero Cross
This is, in fact, not a cross but a building, situated near the Flores Convent, that commemorates the symbolic handing over of the keys of Álora by the last Moorish mayor to the Christian commander in 1484.

GASTRONOMY
Álora has an excellent reputation for traditional cuisine based on local produce from the surrounding countryside. Among the most typical dishes are the soups, one of the favourites of the farm workers in the area that are usually accompanied by fruits in season, such as grapes, pears and oranges, and cucumber, olives and raw onion. On rainy days hot food is eaten, like fried bread crumbs or gachas (flour-based garlic mix). In summer there is the fried peppers, the delicious varieties of gazpachos, the various fish dishes and the asparagus omelettes. There is a wide variety of pork products too, used in all the different varieties. For dessert, one can have the various home-made preserves, the doughnuts and pastries and the unique horchata (a nut-based drink) made from hazelnut ice-cream. But for breakfast there is nothing better than a cup of Hacho manzanilla (herb tea) with a squirt of lemon.

NATURAL SORROUNDINGS
The municipality of Álora covers a wide area. To the north is the Arco Calizo Central (The Antequerana Mountain range) offering spectacular landscape to be enjoyed in the Sierra de Huma, at 1,191 metres high, and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, (an area whose administration is shared by Ardales). To the west is the Sierra de Aguas (949 metres high) that leads on towards the Serranía de Ronda, with its pine forests stretching from the Guadalhorce river to the road that links Álora with Carratraca. On the eastern side of the Guadalhorce, the landscape flattens out somewhat, with small hills cultivated with cereal, some olive plantations and old oaks. This region makes a natural corridor that crosses the province from Periana to Álora, separated by the Antequerana Mountain range from the Mountains of Malaga. These mountains pass by Álora to the west, leaving a landscape of hills, olive and almond groves and scrubland. One of the most charming features of Álora and neighbouring areas is the large quantity of small fruit and vegetable patches, covering the land in coloured blankets of green, with the typical farmhouses attached.