Villanueva de la Concepción: El Torcal, Trails and History

Villanueva de la Concepción is shaped by the mighty El Torcal massif. Nearby El Torcal de Antequera lies between the city of Antequera and the municipality of Villanueva de la Concepción; visitors can go hiking, cycling and climbing there.

Culture

The Festival de Verdiales is considered the oldest festival in the province of Málaga and was recognised as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional in 2001. Since 1981, Villanueva de la Concepción has brought together the most important Pandas de Verdiales for the festival. During the festival, visitors can join the groups as they move through the town to the rhythm of the Verdiales and sample typical local products.

At Cerro del León, friezes, sandstone blocks and several opus signinum basins have been preserved as remains of the Roman urban complex. Cerro del León is also known as Ciudad Romana de Oscua. The Roman pottery from Cerro del León dates from the 1st to the 6th century AD. A Roman lion sculpture recently found there is classified as a funerary lion with Italic roots from the late Republic or the Augustan period.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora Inmaculada Concepción dates from the end of the 19th century and has a white façade, a small bell gable, a single-nave interior and a neoclassical altarpiece.

The Mirador Puente del Horcajo is an 18th-century bridge on the former Vía Real between Madrid and Málaga; it crosses the Campanillas River and dates from 1787. The Puente del Paraíso is considered one of the historic, relatively well-preserved bridges along the Camino Real de Carlos III. The Mirador Puente del Horcajo can be visited free of charge and is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

The Camino Real de Carlos III is the former road from Málaga to Madrid and is now used as an agricultural and tourist trail. The Camino Mozárabe stage from Villanueva de la Concepción to Antequera reaches the Puerto de la Escaleruela in El Torcal. In the opposite direction, the Camino Mozárabe stage from Almogía to Villanueva de la Concepción crosses the Puente del Horcajo and then continues along the Camino Real to Villanueva de la Concepción.

The Ruta por los Manantiales del Sur del Torcal is an unmarked, 14.31-kilometre circular hike.

Fuente Pareja was one of 250 chapel schools commissioned by Bishop Herrera Oria and is located beside a pond and a spring. The Pilas de la Alhaja consist of six stone troughs fed by a spring and built as watering places for livestock.

Nature and trails

The municipality's landscape includes olive groves, almond trees and cereal fields. From Villanueva de la Concepción, follow the A-7075 towards Antequera to the turn-off for the Torcal Alto Visitor Centre. The Sendero de la Escaleruela begins in Villanueva de la Concepción at the local Instituto de Educación Secundaria and leads towards El Torcal.

Festivals and regional cuisine

The Romería de San Isidro Labrador includes a food festival at Hoyo de la Turca, at the foot of El Torcal. The pilgrimage also includes an overnight stay in a tent, a Rocío Mass and subsequent flamenco performances. Hoyo de la Turca is equipped for camping and offers an opportunity to stop for a meal.

On Día de San Marcos, traditional hornazos made from bread and egg are prepared, followed by a meal or snack in the countryside. The Fiesta del verdeo, “Día de la Haba”, promotes the broad bean as a typical crop of the village of El Torcal; at the start, broad beans with oil are sampled in local bars.

Other places

El Borge, Genalguacil, Sierra De Yeguas, Pizarra, Canillas De Aceituno, Villanueva De Tapia, Viñuela, Manilva

For the higher-level travel overview: Málaga.