El Albaicín

I read about a fascinating place to visit on the outskirts of Granada called Sacomonte with cave houses! Even though it is a very interesting place, not many tourists go there because there is only one narrow road up a very steep hill. A bus does go so far but you still have to do the walk up! It took us about 1/2 hour to get to road that goes up and there was a lot to see on the way.

In the 15th Century, Spanish Gypsies, originally from India, sought refuge in these unique caves, also known as El Barranco de los Negros, which were carved out of the limestone hillside. Beyond providing shelter from the hot sun, the Sacromonte caves also offered protection from religious and ethnic persecution, making the caves a haven for those seeking peace.

The gypsies there have a long-standing tradition with the flamenco, the typical Spanish dance and music, but they mixed the traditional Spanish flamenco with Arab belly dancing. Shows are held at night in some caves for tourists but I think that that’s what they are - shows for tourists. We’ll see a flamenco show later on on our trip.

The fact that some of these caverns date back to the 16th century and have preserved centuries of history in their cool, natural surroundings is amazing.

In 1963, six months of torrential rains destabilized the soil, and the entire hill was in danger of collapsing. The government forcefully evicted the residents of Sacromonte caves, ordering them never to return. And that was the end of the Gypsy history of Sacromonte caves.

Though many of Sacromonte’s dappled white cave-dwellings are now available to rent, either as permanent residences or holiday homes, and and are fitted out with wifi, TV and fully functioning kitchens and bathrooms, you can see them as they would have been originally in the Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte.

This fabulous museum is situated at the top of the hill and gave us the chance to look around ten caves that have been set up as they would have been when the Gypsies first settled in Sacromonte. There are lots of old photos on the walls and some wonderful short movies of the families who lived there. Most houses had only three rooms - a living area, a kitchen and a bedroom and a cave for their animals.

Following our museum visit we wandered around the modern Sacromonte. I don’t think that life has changed much since then – and Sacromonte is all the more charming and beautiful because of it.

Vale la peña . It was worth the effort!Read more