Periana: Olive Groves, Trails and Oil Tradition

Nature

Periana is surrounded by orchards and olive groves. The landscape includes the Olivo Caracol de Fuente Piojo, a monumental olive tree that received the AEMO award for Spain’s best monumental olive tree in 2017.

Cuisine

The Día del Aceite Verdial takes place every spring in Periana and includes a traditional molinero breakfast with bread, cod, green beans and Verdial olive oil. This event is recognised as being of provincial tourist interest in Málaga. During the Día del Aceite Verdial, visitors can see traditional oil-production equipment at the two local cooperatives: millstones, presses and capachos.

The I Ruta de los Olivos Milenarios de Periana serves to convey the history of olive trees of the “Verdial de Vélez-Málaga” variety. The route ends at the Cooperativa Olivarera San Isidro. In the vicinity of Periana, in the oil-producing village of Mondrón, the Museo del Aceite de Mondrón preserves historic oil-making methods. The museum displays old millstones and other equipment; admission is free, and visitors can purchase oil from the olive mill there.

Hiking

The first stage of the GR-242 is the Periana–Alcaucín section and begins in the centre of Periana. At kilometre 22.6, the GR 249 enters the area of Periana next to the archaeological site of Capellanía, which is more than two millennia old. Cerro de Capellanía preserves traces of a settlement that began in the Middle Neolithic and continued until the 1st century AD.

The Periana section of the GR 249 passes through centuries-old olive groves and preserves traditional dry-stone walls between the plots, as well as kilometres of small albarradas to reduce the gradient of the terrain. Stage 08 of the GR 249 ends at the southern entrance to Periana near the Vereda de Cantillana, where it meets the first houses of the village.

History

The Iglesia de San Isidro Labrador in Periana was built in the Neo-Mudéjar style after the earthquake. The Antiguo Lavadero Municipal is located in the centre of Periana on Calle Cerco, a few metres from Plaza de la Fuente. Today it serves the drinking-water supply and is also a quiet, picturesque place by the water. The washhouse recalls the former social function of communal washing places; in addition, the old tradition of carrying water from the spring home in botijos continues in Periana.

In the vicinity of Periana, in the village of Baños de Vilo, there is a bath believed to be an Arab bath, 2.5 kilometres from Periana and at just over 610 metres above sea level. The Balneario de Baños de Vilo was regarded as one of Andalusia’s most important spa resorts in the 18th and 19th centuries. The caves next to the Abrigo de Marchamonas contain prehistoric rock paintings; the cave is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

In the vicinity of Periana, the preserved edge of the Poza de Vilo basin features a stone lining crafted more than a thousand years ago. The water is considered sulphurous, magnesium-calcium-rich and nitrogenous, with a constant temperature of 21 °C.

Other Places

Other destinations on Andalusien-Netz include Los Villalones, Archez, Monda, Montejaque, Alhaurin De La Torre, Algatocín, Guadalmina and Villanueva De Algaidas.

To the main travel overview: Málaga.