FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE VILLAGE OF FRIGILIANA

Love at first sight….that’s what overcame me when I arrived at Frigiliana. Even from a distance, still about 3 kilometer drive, as I caught a glimpse of the white village that lies between the mountains, I could not help but sigh with admiration. But what makes this little Spanish village different from the rest???

I’ve never heard of Frigiliana, until March 19, 2015…the day that we drove to this village. Coming from Nerja, which we found touristic, Hans and I wanted to go somewhere more rural. In one of the folders from Nerja, I’ve read that a visit to Nerja is not complete without driving to Frigiliana. I then googled it up and what I’ve read appealed to me. So Hans and I decided to take a look…and we were glad we did for in going there, we have seen the most beautiful Spanish village we have seen at this point of our journey, the authentic, immaculate village of Frigiliana. We’ve taken many pictures, but I know those pictures didn’t give justice to the beauty of the village. It was bad weather when we were there, but it didn’t make the village less charming!

PICTURESQUE FRIGILIANA

Frigiliana , the Andalucian “White village” located in the Region of Axarquia, is a town and municipality situated approximately 71 km east of Malaga and 6 km north of Nerja. At more than 300 meters above sea level, Frigiliana lies on the outskirts of the Sierras Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama. It boasts of having won the national prize as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

View of Frigiliana

The village is composed of two parts : the old and the new. Left side from the tourist Information office (Casa del Apero) is the old part, which is also called the Barrio Mudejar, and right side (from Nerja) is the new. However, on both parts, one can see the usual whitewashed houses that are typical of the village, hence, white village. The best way to discover the village is by strolling around the village and allowing yourself to get lost. For the village is made up of many long narrow, winding streets , all of which are covered with cobbled stones, some having nice patterns of stars, notes and geometric figures. As you walk around, you come across many hidden streets and narrow concrete stairs, some steep, some not. Just when you thought you reach an end, then you find yourself faced with another narrow paved street, and lots of charming corners. Most of the houses, which looked like they are built on top of each other, have verandas adorned with ceramic vases filled with plants and flowers. There are also plants found in front of some of the doors.

Getting yourself lost in these streets, you pass by some local bars, restaurants and shops where you can buy some souvenirs especially wine, honey, and ceramic products. The village, throughout the years, has maintained its authenticity and charms. The friendliness of the people are evident. Commercialism is not strong, there are no big hotels. We only saw one Bed and breakfast establishment. And if people want to stay, they could rent one of the rural casas in the village. There are also no big shops or supermarkets; just small ones owned by the locals self and enough to supply the village. And if one wants to go shopping, Nerja is just a bus away. There are many corners where one can have the best views of the village. One is in the leftside street of Calle Sebastian where you have a wonderful view of Barrio Mudejar, the other is at the mirador by Casa Apero, and another one, on the hill going up the castle ruins.

Aside from strolling around the village, one can also take a hike thru the mountain , the Parque natural or follow the path to Rio Higueron. Hans and I did the latter. The grand hike to Nerja thru the mountain is about 15 kms, which we found a bit too far, considering the bad weather that we had when we were there. So we just opted to go follow the path where Rio Higueron runs. It was also a nice experience, just follow the wooden signboard to Rio Higueron which leads you down the mountain, and there you see the waters. About 600 meters you will see two waterfalls, not so far from each other. And a bit further, you see a kind of water reservoir. Maybe when we get back to this village, we will do the Nerja hike and we will try to go further than the reservoir.