THIS DELIGHTFUL VILLAGE IN THE AXARQUÍA REGION BOASTS OF HAVING THE BEST CLIMATE IN EUROPE. ITS WARM SUMMER AND WINTERS ARE THE REASON OF SUCH AN EXCEPTIONAL DISTINCTION. TORROX PERFECTLY COMBINES MODERNITY AND CLASSICISM, TRADITION AND TOURIST DEVELOPMENT.

Torrox is one of the most stunning villages in the province of Málaga. Its Moorish design, its valuable and distant past, its fertile fields, its outstanding gastronomic legacy, or its promising tourist future make it a spot not to be missed.

This town belongs to the select group of Andalusian white villages. It is an inevitable passage in that long route which winds its way up into the inland of Cádiz and Málaga, whose common factor is lime, brightness, nature and tradition. Moreover, Torrox boasts an inestimable treasure, the sea.
A distance of four kilometres separates the narrow streets in the centre of this village from the vast coastal beaches. Torrox has managed to become a new paradise for international tourism, without losing an inch of its huge heritage, without renouncing its artistic and cultural richness, conserving intact all its appeal as a country village.

Almanzor's Hometown
As almost in every village on this side of the Mediterranean, the Muslim past has left its indelible mark upon Torrox. However, it is necessary to go back to earlier times to find the origins of this location. Documentation, together with the excavations carried out in the environs, prove the existence of a Punic-Phoenician emplacement. Coins, vessels, tombs... different archaeological jewels that confirm the presence of this civilisation. Nevertheless, the most significant finds come from the Roman Empire.

In the wellknown Punta de Torrox, at the foot of the lighthouse, lies the site of Claviculum.
Discovered in 1905 by the then lighthouse keeper, these ruins reveal what was once a group of houses, a necropolis and some thermal baths.
According to the surveys in this respect, Torrox became a factory town, founded in the I st century, whose main resources were sea trade and the plant of garum production, which was a fish sauce essential in the Roman diet.
Toward the 5th century, the population fled to the inland to protect themselves againts corsair attacks. It might have been then when the village of Torrx was born on the hill where it lies nowadays. But it is in the II th century when a written reference to this locality with its present name appears for the first time.
Various Arab writers - from poets to geographers, mention 'Turrux', the town of towers, since many were the watchtowers which stood out on the cliffs to wach the comings and goings of ships.
This long period under Arab rule has left a very deep mark in the soul and body of this population. Its importance within the Al-Andalus history is indisputable. In the year 755, the Prince Abderraman, the last representative of the Omeya dynasty, arrived in Torrox. From the old castle of this town, the prince attacked Archidona and became the first emir of the believers. Then, after conquering the capital, Córdoba, the Arab rebel proclaimed himself caliph of the new Reino Andalusí. In addition, Torrox has the honour to have been the cradle of one of the most notable warriors in that time, the fearful Almanzor.

A climatic eden
Protected by the rugged Tejeda mountains, Torrox constitutes a matchless climatic Eden in the South of Europe.
Thanks to this climate, during the last years, the coastal area in this region has undergone an amazing transformation in every sphere, social, economic and, of course, architectural. El Morche, Ferrara, La Carraca, El Peñoncillo, Mazagarrobo, Calaceite or Vílchez are dark-sanded beaches, almost virginal. Places, all of them, pervaded by a deep fishing glavour.
Higher in the mountains, the village of Torrox lives immersed its quite customs. Its shining whiteness, only altered by the green, red and yellow colours which sproud from the numerous flowerpots adorning balconies, windows and courtyards, and its narrow and steep streets, which offer nice shadows, draw a village of unfathomable charms.
To all this we must add a natural framework dominated by valleys, mountains and rivers, by crops and flourishing orchards. But that is not all. The gifts of an irresistible local cuisine, the kindness of its pleasant inhabitants, the allure of its festivities and ancient customs, or the simple fascination with a life away from the thunder of modernity are enough attraction to captivate the visitor from the first moment.
Torrox belongs to the last isolated paradises. This village of the Axarquía region has its own brighness, a brighness that emanates miraculous like a stream, and is calmly deposited between the lime of its houses and the salt of its waves.

Basic data
Size: 50 Km²
Population: Approx. 11,000
Residents known as: Torroxeños
Monuments: Plaza de la Constitución, Church of Ntra. Señora de la Encarnación, Convent of Ntra. Sra. de las Nieves, Shrine of San Roque.
Geographical situation: In the Axarquía, at the foot of the Sierra Tejeda and Sierra Almijara, 49 kilometres from Malaga and 23 from Vélez, at 145 metres above sea level.
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1. 29770.
Phone: 952 538 200 Fax: 952 538 100

Places to be visited

Town centre
The town centre of Torrox is exceptionally rich in historic architecture, its narrow and winding streets reminiscent of Moorish times. The town centre is filled with small houses built as the ground rises and falls. The central Plaza de la Constitución has a unique collection of Roman busts on the gable ends of the buildings, and there too is the imposing parish church.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
This church was built at the beginning of the 16th century over an old mosque, and restored and enlarged in the middle of the 17th century. Its design is Baroque, in the shape of the Latin cross. The interior is divided into three naves, the central one in timber structuring, and outside the most interesting item is the beautiful square tower with semicircular arches supporting a roof with pinnacles.
Convent and hermitage of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves
This is an important work of Mudejar architecture built in the 16th century. The ground plan of the Hermitage is the shape of the Latin cross, with naves and side chapels, presbytery, choir and spire. The convent is built onto the hermitage, and was founded by the Mínimos Fathers of the Order of San Francisco, who also founded the hermitage. It has two storeys with a cloister and interior patio. The convent was used for storing fruit in the 19th century, and later as a police station for the Guardia Civil, up to the 1970s. Another interesting religious building in the town is the hermitage of San Roque, dating from the 16th century. This is a simple structure with a single nave, choir and spire. Worth a visit too are the 18th century Aduana y Casa de la Moneda (Customs House and Mint) and the present Casa de la Cultura, built in 1863 by José Sevilla.


FIESTAS
Torrox has a busy festive calendar all the year round, its most important festival being from October 4th and 8th. The Fiesta de las Migas takes place on the last Sunday before Christmas, a festival in which visitors to the town can sample this exquisite dish accompanied by a glass of wine from the area and music and dancing in the streets. Carnival time is February, a festival that had been allowed to fade out in years gone by, but now recuperated for the enjoyment of everybody. In spring there is Holy Week, and later on, in May, the Cruces de Mayo. Local custom demands that one tries the arropía, a type of syrup of Moorish origin. On June 13th there is the Festival of San Antonio, which is especially relevant in the barrio of Ntra. Sra. de las Nieves. The Night of San Juan is on June 24th, and the local tradition here is to head for the beach and wash away the evil spirits. The festival in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves and San Roque, patron saints of the town, take place on August 5th, and finally, the festival of the Candelaria, with lighted candles in the streets, takes place in September.

GASTRONOMY
The most traditional dish in Torrox is the migas, delicacies fried in breadcrumbs, around which an annual festival has been organised. These are accompanied by sardines, cod, clams and olives, according to taste. The ajoblanco, an Andalusian soup, is also very popular here, and this often comes enriched with grapes. Torrox has it own special salad, and papas a lo pobre, a delicious potato dish, is also a speciality of the area. The wine doughnuts are eaten at Christmas, and the local arropía (syrup) is cooked for the Cruces de Mayo.