Villanueva de la Concepción: El Torcal, Festivals and Roman Remains

The imposing El Torcal massif shapes the landscape around Villanueva de la Concepción. The municipality's landscape includes olive groves, almond trees and cereal fields. Nearby El Torcal de Antequera lies between the city of Antequera and the municipality of Villanueva de la Concepción and offers opportunities for hiking, cycling and climbing.

Nature and Trails

The Sendero de la Escaleruela begins in Villanueva de la Concepción at the local Instituto de Educación Secundaria and leads towards El Torcal. The Ruta por los Manantiales del Sur del Torcal is an unmarked circular hike covering 14.31 kilometres. 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.

From Villanueva de la Concepción, follow the A-7075 towards Antequera until the turn-off for the Torcal Alto Visitor Centre. The Pilas de la Alhaja consist of six stone troughs fed by a spring and built as a watering place for livestock. Fuente Pareja was one of 250 chapel schools commissioned by Bishop Herrera Oria and is located beside a pond and a spring.

Roman Remains and Local History

Cerro del León is also known as Ciudad Romana de Oscua. Friezes, sandstone blocks and several opus signinum basins survive there as remains of a Roman urban complex. The Roman ceramic materials recorded at Cerro del León date from the 1st to the 6th century AD. A Roman lion sculpture recently found at Cerro del León in Villanueva de la Concepción is classified as a sepulchral lion with Italic roots dating from the late Republic or the Augustan period.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora Inmaculada Concepción dates from the late 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 bridge 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 route. The Puente del Paraíso is considered one of the historic, relatively well-preserved bridges along the Camino Real de Carlos III.

Festivals and Regional Cuisine

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

The Romería de San Isidro Labrador includes a culinary festival at Hoyo de la Turca, at the foot of El Torcal. This Romería 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 a place 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 beginning, broad beans are sampled with oil in local bars.

Other Places

Alfarnate, Bobadilla-Estación, Canillas De Aceituno, Vélez-Málaga, Lagos, Riogordo, Arroyo Coche, San Pedro de Alcántara

For the higher-level travel overview: Málaga.