The village is located
atop a hill between the Serrania de Ronda, the Costa del Sol and
the Campo de Gibraltar region, which explains why its landscape
varies from the spectacular ruggedness of the mountains at El Pico
de los Reales, to the lowlands of the Guadiaro Valley, with its
vegetable gardens and cereal fields, with a small coastal strip
falling in the middle.
Casares, declared a Village of Historical and Artistic Importance,
is considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. Its origins, according
to a popular tradition, date back to Roman times, when Julius Caesar
ordered its construction to show his gratitude after having been
cured by bathing in La Hedionda Baths; the present-day village,
however, is of Arabic origin.
Though the village as a whole is of immense interest, some monuments
and locations are worthy of special mention: the castle ruins, Our
Lady's Church, Ballesteros and La Hedionda caves, the pothole at
La Sima de los Huesos, and, last but by no means least, the birthplace
of Blas Infante, a politician and writer considered to be the founding
father of Andalusian nationalism.
|
