Property Malaga - Buy, Rent & Stay in Malaga, Spain

MALAGA – Capital of the Costa Del Sol

The stretch of Andalusian coast between Manilva and Nerja in Southern Spain is given the name Costa del Sol. A long coastal strip with its geographical and political centre in the city of Malaga, an important sea port and also home to its International Airport.

The climate in the province is typically Mediterranean with mild winters, hot summers and very little rainfall – with an average temperature of 18 degrees centigrade.

The Costa del Sol is known worldwide because of its importance as a tourist centre. On first impression it may seem all entertainment, restaurants, discotheques, 40 odd golf courses and a lot of high rise buildings! However, underneath the neon there is still a lot of history and sights worth seeing.

Malaga itself boasts at least thirty centuries of history. The Phoenicians were the first to build a city here. Close by the Greeks founded Mainake, a town which traded with the Tartesians and was finally devastated by the Carthaginians. Later on Malaga played a very important role in the Roman wars of domination.

The Visigoths conquered Malaga in 570, the Arabs arrived in 710 introducing agricultural techniques and crops to the province and for several centuries the two cultures, Christian and Muslim, lived together in harmony.

This has left many parts of Malaga with a wealth of historical importance and interesting architecture, a few of which are mentioned below:

• The Alcazaba, or Moorish castle is one of the few remaining reminders of the Muslim period in Malaga and well worth a look at. A national monument and home to the Archaeology Museum it is an important legacy of Arabian art.
• The Cathedral, built over the remains of an old mosque. Its construction took more than two centuries (1528 to 1782) and hence it contains a curious amalgam of styles: Renaissance architecture on a Gothic grand plan, with Isabelline and Baroque features.
• The Town Hall, surrounded by an area of pretty gardens, the Paseo del Parque (Park Walk). Built at the beginning of the 20 th century in a neo-baroque style.
• The Episcopal Palace, built in the 18 th century. An interesting building in its own right and home to the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, which contain an important collection of paintings and examples of religious craftsmanship in gold and silver.
• The fifteenth-century Santiago Church with it Mudejar bell-tower.
• The Virgin of the Victory Sanctuary, built at the entrance of the city by order of the Catholic Kings and rebuilt at the end of the seventeenth century.
• The Puerta de Atarazanas (Atarazanas Gateway) in the Central Market - another important example of Islamic art in the city.
• The Palace of the Counts of Buenvista – built in the middle of the older quarter of the city and home to the Fine Arts Museum. It houses Roman mosaics and work by numerous artists, including early Picassos.

Malaga also has some very good Andalusian restaurants, unspoiled by catering for the tourist trade and offering excellent value for money.

The adventurous should also explore El Perchel, the old flamenco district.

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