Orgiva: Holiday apartment between culture, landscape and tradition

Órgiva’s cultural profile includes the Festividad del Santísimo Cristo de la Expiración, which is recognised as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Andalucía. The Festividad has been celebrated continuously since 1815; the exceptions are 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For a holiday apartment in Órgiva, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions are objective comparison criteria.

Culture

The Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Expectación was built in 1580 after the end of the Morisco uprising in the Alpujarras. The church houses an image of Cristo de la Expiración, attributed to the school of Martínez Montañés. The Casa Palacio de los Condes de Sástago was built over the remains of a 16th-century Muslim alquería tower. It is one of the few buildings of comparable size preserved in the comarca.

A special literary collection is housed in the Aula Cervantina «Agustín Martín Zaragoza»: it contains copies of «El Quijote» in more than 80 languages, as well as studies and treatises on the work of Miguel de Cervantes. The Sala de Exposiciones de Pinturas y Esculturas con Motivos Quijotescos displays paintings and sculptures recreating passages from «El Quijote». On the Plaza Alpujarra stand two tinaos approximately 10 metres long; their columns are painted with images, each representing a village in the Alpujarras.

History

The Ermita de San Sebastián stands on the foundations of a Visigothic fortress. The Casa Palacio de los Condes de Sástago also combines visible architectural history with older traces of the site. In Órgiva, the Alfarería Cacheriche also preserves a traditional pottery workshop that continues to use a kiln to produce ceramic objects.

Landscape

Órgiva lies at the confluence of the Río Guadalfeo and its tributary, the Río Chico. A network of acequias and albercas greens the valley. The combination of waterways, irrigation and the valley setting forms the landscape framework for exploring the surrounding area.

Trails

Recommended routes in the area around Órgiva include the «Ruta de los olivos centenarios» and the route of the GR-142 long-distance trail. The two routes mentioned offer different ways to incorporate activity and landscape into the day’s itinerary, without presupposing the same type of trail.

For more travel ideas, also see Cádiar, Zújar, Picena, Peligros, La Taha, Guájar-Alto, Cijuela and Pinos Puente.

Culinary traditions

The «Feria Hecho en La Alpujarra» takes place at the same time as Semana Santa. It includes demonstration workshops on ceramics, iron and clay sculpture, woven crafts and the production of jarapas. Traditional dishes passed down in the Alpujarra include «Sopas de Pan y Maíz», «Pimentón de Bacalao» and «Torta de Higos Secos».

For the overarching travel overview: Granada.