Information Pages of Property for sale in rural Spain

This is an area undiscovered by the tourist masses and is considered the most beautiful region of Andalucia (if not the whole of Spain). Nestled between the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea are clusters of picturesque white villages and traditional cortijos offering the discerning traveller a rare insight into a forgotten era of rural Spanish life.

History of the Alpujarras. Las Alpujarras were not entirely uninhabited before the 8th-century Moorish invasion, the Romans, for example, having been attracted by the mineral wealth of the Sierra Nevada (and the relative ease of its extraction, erosion by glaciation having stripped away most of the overlying soft rock). But it was skilled Berber farmers who found the region worth settling on a large scale. They founded the area's villages — Trevélez, Lanjarón, Monachil, La Calahorra, to name only a few — and created the terraced fields which collected the spring water from the melting snow of the Sierra Nevada, making farming possible. In 1492, the forced conversion of Granada's Moorish population caused many of the latter to take to the hills, where they would have mixed with the Berber farmers who had been there for centuries. The Moors of Granada and of the Alpujarras were under constant pressure from the Christians, and a decree prohibiting the use of Arabic and the Islamic religion and customs led to the Morisco uprising of 1568. This was savagely repressed, its leader, Ben Humeya, was executed in the main square of Granada, and the entire Arab-descended population of the Kingdom of Granada was expelled, including those who had converted to Christianity (on the grounds that they hadn't really converted).

Philip II brought about 12,000 settlers from the north to repopulate the region, who occupied the Berber villages directly, without demolishing or rebuilding, so preserving that traditional Berber architecture, small, flat-roofed, box-shaped houses with curious tall, round chimneys, clustered about narrow, winding, often steep streets (you can see much the same in the Rif and Atlas mountains of Morocco).

Visiting the region!

Las Alpujarras is a particularly delightful area to explore on foot and there are many well-signposted walking routes, ranging from a short stroll, to day long hikes into the Sierra Nevada. For the really serious walker there are two famous long-distance foot paths that cross Las Alpujarras. One is the GR-7 which begins in Tarifa in Cadiz province and crosses Europe all the way to Greece. The other is the GR-142 which runs from Lanjaron to Fiñana on the northern side of the Sierra Nevada in Almeria.

The best months to walk in Las Alpujarras are April to mid-June, and mid-September to mid-November.

Las Alpujarras is a spectacular area to drive around. There are dramatic views across the mountains and hills, roads down to valleys bases, narrow passes through gorges, and bridges spanning pretty rivers. The villages in Las Alpujarras are picturesque, traditional, white-washed places, often quite a distance apart and fairly isolated, so driving is a good way to see a few of them at a time.

There are some good country roads in this region, which offer pleasurable, rewarding and exciting driving, and many places to stop to take photos. Many roads are quiet and you can go quite a time before meeting anyone else. Some roads are rather more narrow and old however, often only wide enough for one vehicle, and can be pot-holed with severe drops down unprotected sides, so caution is always to be used. You can often come suddenly across herds of goats, as well as seeing wildlife more used to isolation, so it is a good idea to drive slowly and carefully, being cautious about what you'll meet around the next bend.

Obviously ensure your car works well and is safe, bearing in mind the often steep descents and stiff climbs, and it is recommended that you use a good quality map with the road numbers marked, and plenty of water to drink as on hot days the car can get very warm. Many of the streets in villages are often too narrow for a car.