The first impact received from Frigiliana enters through the eyes. Even from a distance, before arriving. And after several curves on the road, when you finally reach the crowded hamlet located about 300 meters above the Mediterranean, then that visual impression multiplies. The color white floods everything. The pristine whitewashing of each and every home is dazzling. Whether large or small, humbler or more sumptuous, new or old, they always sport white facades. They shine and are almost blinding due to the intense light that comes from a blue, indigo and satin sky. Here the clouds are as strange as on the entire neighboring Costa del Sol in Malaga, visible from the highest points of the municipality.
White, blue… but the local color palette is not yet complete. The final touches are provided by the green of multiple shades and nuances that surrounds the town. Some green vegetables that emerge in the forests and bushes that flood these areas of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park, which is the true lung of the Axarquía region, in whose eastern area Frigiliana is located.
In short, this is a destination to enjoy with your eyes and the rest of your senses. Let no one go to Frigiliana to hunt and capture great monuments and masterpieces of art. Nor do we have to look for traces of key episodes in history, nor the traces of eminences and memorable characters.
Here everything has a more sensory character, more about enjoying the experience. Although that means the small effort of traveling through a town where flatness does not exist. So due to the up and down the cobblestone streets of the town, it is more than advisable to wear the most appropriate footwear for the occasion. This is not a supreme sacrifice. On the contrary, a visit to Frigiliana can only be defined as a most pleasant act.
The inhabitants are determined to achieve it, since they agree to make their town look beautiful. There is no house with a neglected facade. Everyone seems to have whitewashed their homes last week and must have gotten up early to water the numerous pots of geraniums and bougainvilleas at dawn. Forgings on the windows and balconies, as well as ceramic details end up adorning each house. It is not at all surprising that in recent years the place has received all possible awards, from being included in the network of Most Beautiful Towns in Spain to being considered among the 7 Rural Wonders of the country. And even its old town is cataloged and protected as a historical-artistic complex.
It is a sight that thousands of tourists seek. Especially in the hot months and with maximum influx to the sea coast of Malaga and the nearby Costa Tropical of Granada, since the Mediterranean is more or less a quarter of an hour away. However, it is in the fall and winter when this enclave is most enjoyed, since the temperatures are usually very pleasant and there is not so much crowd accumulated in the winding and narrow streets.
However, when you visit, you should let your intuition guide you. Walk aimlessly and at will through this labyrinth of Moorish atmosphere where the houses join each other even sharing a door to the street. During the walk, on any slope a bend and an attractive view appear that make you change your plans to look for an unexpected photo. It is not a problem to deviate and get lost, since it is a small nucleus and sooner rather than later you will have the reference of the most emblematic points again.
One of them is the simple church of San Antonio de Padua, which was originally a mosque. And another iconic place is known as El Ingenio, which was actually the palace of the counts of Frigiliana built in the 16th century. Although, more than its residential size, the true attraction of this building is that in its lower part it houses all the machines for the production of cane honey. Something absolutely exceptional on the entire European continent.
A step away from the Ingenio is the Casa del Apero, which originally served as a barn and stable. However, today it is a cultural center that houses the town library, as well as the Archaeological Museum and a temporary exhibition hall. Also there is the tourist office. So your visit is mandatory to request the essential map where you can locate the most photogenic corners such as the Apero slope, the mosaics that form the cobblestones of the main roads such as Calle Real or Hernando el Darra, the Barribarto viewpoints, the Old fountain or the Tres Culturas fountain located in El Garral alley.
All of them points spread over a very short distance and appear almost by surprise, as happens with the Royal Warehouses of the 18th century where grain was stored for bad times. Or the tower building that today is attached to a house. Likewise, almost without wanting to, you can reach the botanical garden, a terraced space to grow all the plants that tell the history and customs of Frigiliana. There are the hearts of palm used in the local basketry or the esparto grass used for slippers, cheese molds or cavalry baskets.
Not to mention the ubiquitous olive tree or the countless medicinal plants that are discovered in the surrounding forests. Many of them visible on a last walk to the remains of the Arab castle of Lízar. Today they are ruins, but an extraordinary panoramic point to see the whole of Frigiliana, the greenery of Axarquía and the blue of the Mediterranean.
