An excursion to the Pueblos Blancos

We wanted to explore some of the other areas of Andalusia so we signed up for a couple of organized group tours. First up was a day trip to see three of the Pueblos Blancos - Zahara, Grazalema, and Ronda (aka white villages). The White Villages are peppered among the hills of Andalusia, Many began as Moorish strongholds. Perched atop steep hills or mountains, they were established when much of the area was under the control of the Islamic Moors. During the pandemic plague waves 14th century is when whitewashing exterior and interior walls of houses and churches - the latter often visited by disease-affected inhabitants - became predominant. The white wash was made with lime which is what made it effective as a disinfectant.
The first two Pueblos Blancos we visited were small towns, the third is a larger one with a famous bridge and bull ring (Ronda). All three were beautiful with charming squares and narrow lanes lined with buildings with window boxes full of flowers. All buildings have to stay white (now painted vs lime) except for a few that are much older and started a different color.
The area is mainly agriculture based with olive trees, orange trees and a few other crops.
It was a fun outing with good guides, comfy bus and nice cohorts- even though big group bus trips are not always our way of touring.
We liked the area so much we are thinking of planning another trip just to visit and explore all of the Pueblos Blancos (there are 19 in total).Läs mer