When you are renting a Villa in Casares you might like to visit the attractive mountain village of Gaucin. Those staying in Casares villas or apartments highly recommend a scenic tour of both Casares and GaucinGaucin and Casares[/spin] to see the contrast between the two.
Gaucin benefits from sweeping views of the Rif Mountains of Africa and Gibraltar. The village is a literally a painter’s palette showing amongst its colours vivid red poppies, yellow mimosa, and wild orchids depending on the time of year you visit.
Having only a population of some 2000 or so you won’t be overrun by the locals at its busiest. The village was once a major Roman settlement. Its castle, Castillo del Aguila (meaning Eagle’s Castle due to its lofty position) dates from this period carefully and you may well find eagles circling above, while smaller kestrels frequently nest in the walls of the mediaeval convent.
The Romans settled in Gaucin as they found it the easiest place to access the Ronda mountain range from the sea to penetrate to the heart of the region. The Roman road, Camino de Gibraltar, is still used, and in parts amazingly the original stones are intact. In fact, Gaucin was a resting place for soldiers after the battle between Julius Caesar and the sons of Pompey.
Gaucin is constructed around a maze of narrow twisting streets and was once a haven for tobacco and brandy smugglers who travelled the area. Up until recently a visit was like stepping back in time as the majority of houses had no running water and one light bulb.
Gaucin actually predates the Roman period. Step back in time by visiting the Cave and see the prehistoric Cave paintings. Ancient Iberian ceramics have been found in the castle’s water deposit. The Phoenicians established gold mines on the nearby Sierra Bermeja and probably controlled Gaucín during their hegemony in the region.
In 714 AD Tarik the Moor invaded Spain through Gibraltar using the Roman roads and Gaucin was the scene of many a long and bloody battle. King Henry IV finally liberated Gaucín in 1457.
In 1704 the British took Gibraltar and the local priest, fearing that Gaucín would be ramsacked, hid church treasures, but the British didn’t arrive. By the end of the century many British Gibraltarians were coming to the Gaucín to spend the summers in the cool mountains.
The French invaded Gaucin in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars. Seven hundred brave guerrillas tried unsuccessfully to defend the castle. Gaucin subsequently became very poor and many local men became Banoleros, (bandits) ,Bandoleros (bandits) and contrabandistas (sellers of smuggled goods) providing inspiration for Prosper Merimée´s novel that was adapted by Bizet into the opera Carmen. There is supposed to be evidence to prove that it was not Rhonda but Gaucin that was the setting for the Bandolero Act III.
One of the most popular festivals of the year is the ‘ toro de cuerda’ (bull on a cord.). On Easter Sunday two bulls, one at 10 a.m. and one at 4 p.m., are loosed to run through the town, chased by the brave. Much drinking, feasting and hilarity follows.
There are plenty of suitable Villas in Costa Del Sol in which to stay to tour the area, select from Caseras, Calahonda, Mijas Costa, Benahavis or Benalmadena.
RSS FEED
