Landscape
The landscape in the Montes has been affected by human
activity across history. This has involved production
of wine and grape products, primarily,
followed by almonds and olives,
which supplanted the holm and cork oaks of the area,
in such a way that today these can only be found in very
specific points in the vicinity.
The most recent consequence has been that the floods
suffered by Málaga city since 1930 have come to
dominate and shape the current landscape of the Montes.
To clear the streets of flood waters from the rio Gudalmedina that
runs through the city, Málaga prioritized plans
to reafforest the area with Aleppo pine, which has shaped
the pine woodlands that today define the landscape of
the Montes.
Alongside the water courses, and although the lack of
regular rains makes their growth difficult, we can still
encounter ash, elm and poplar, with bushes such as blackberries
(and other brambles), and honeysuckle variants.
Gastronomy
The region has an abundance of ‘ventas’,
the excellent small country restaurants found throughout
Andalucía, where you can enjoy the local ‘plato
de los montes’, consisting of breadcrumbs or fries with eggs and
accompanied by chorizo, local sausage,
or lomo, pork loin. In the cuisine of
Málaga the most outstanding is the classic pescaito
frito, fried mixed fish, and espetos de sardinas, a local
favourite of spit-grilled sardines, while there is a
great variety of typical local dishes such as ajoblanco
con uvas, almond and garlic soup with grapes, gazpachuelo,
a simpler version of gazpacho using oil and eggs, cazuela
de fideos, noodle stew, berza, cooked cabbage, and ensalada
malagueña, the local version of the classic side
salad made with potato, cod, onion, orange, olives and
oil.
Artisan culture
The principal crafts are harness-making and esparto
grass weaving, but handmade goods and an established
tradition also include several excellent local wines,
of which there is a great variety: sweet, semi-sweet
and dry as well as combinations of these. The wine-press and bodega of Torrijo,
now transformed into a Ecomuseo, ecological
museum, celebrates the Mediterranean wine culture which,
thanks to a fecund soil and sun, stretches back to times
immemoral in the Montes.
Situation
15 kilometres north of Málaga city. Area: 4,900
hectares. Altitude: between 80 and 1,031 m above sea
level. Average monthly temperatures: 10ºC-26ºC.
Average annual rainfall: 500 mm. Municipalities: Casabermeja
and Málaga.
Activities
- Bike tours. A network of signed
route crisscrosses the interior.
- ‘Tiro Olímpico’.
Spain’s national Olympic rifle and small arms
sport, licensed in the area at Jotrón.
- Aquatic and subaqua sports. There
are many possibilities for both in Málaga city
and the municipalities along the Costa del Sol.
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