Torrox Holiday Rentals

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Torrox stands at a height of 125 metres above sea level and is one of the most important municipalities of La Axarqufa, with a stretch of coastline containing the seaside resorts of El Morche and Torrox-Costa. The stable population of Torrox is 12,000, though this number increases considerably in summer. The town, said to have the finest climate in Europe, is 47 kilometres from Malaga . and 20 from Velez-Malaga. The town centre is four kilometres from the coast. The River Torrox runs through the municipality, supplying water for irriga­tion farming and the cultivation of sub­tropical and greenhouse-grown fruits. Inland, vineyards and olive trees abound. Phoenician remains found on the coast testify to the long history of settlement in this region, but of particular interest is the archaeological site at Faro. Here, the remains of a Roman villa, Clavicum, have been discovered, constructed bet­ween the 1st and the 4th centuries AD. The site also contains hot baths, a necropolis, ovens, the remains of houses and troughs used for the preparation of "garum", a type of fish paste. The structure of the streets and squares of the older districts of Torrox shows clear evidence of Moorish in­fluence. At the top of the hill on which the town stands was formerly a Moorish castle.

According to one local legend, Abderraman I, on arriving in Al-Aldalus to be proclaimed emir, took refuge in Torrox in the year 755. Another claims that King Almanzor was born here in the 10th century. However this may be, Torrox prospered greatly during the Moorish occupation due toits agriculture and silk trade. Torrox, along with the entire region of La Axarqufa, was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487, and two watchtowers were built here to keep vigil over the coast. These are the Torre del Morche, or Gui, at the westernmost point of the municipal district, and the Torre de Calaceite, to the east. Bet­ween these two defensive points stood formerly a fortress, Castle Bago. Torrox boasts the 16th-century Mudejar-style Church of Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion, and at the entrance to the town the Shrine and Convent of the Virgen de las Nieves, built during the same century and now occupied by the National Guard. The outstanding religious buildings here are completed by the Church of San Ro-que, a Neo-Mudejar construction dating back to the early-20th century. Important civil works include the Hospital of San Jose, built in the 18thcentury, and the Sugar Factory, which came into being at the end of the 19th, embodying an example of the prosperi­ty of Torrox at that time. Finally, we should underline the impor­tance in terms of tourism of the nine kilometres of coastline here. El Morche and Torrox-Costa, with their beaches of Calaceite, Penoncillo, Ferrara and El Morche, have become one of the leading attractions of the Costa del Sol. Torrox celebrates a large number of festivities during the year, including Las Cruces de Mayo (3 May) the Night of Saint John (23 June) the feast of the Virgin of the Snow (5 August) Candlemas (7 September) those of the patron saint of the town (4-7 October) and the Fiesta de las Migas, held on the last Sunday before Christmas. During these last festivities, the wines of the region are served, together with the popular local dish, m/gas

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