Visit San Pedro Alcántara

Spain It has many tourist destinations that may not be as popular with foreign visitors. Well, it is time to make them known because moving around the country is very comfortable and wonderful pearls are discovered such as, for example, the town of San Pedro Alcantara.

It is Malaga, Andalusia, very close to the center of Marbella, so it is a stone's throw from popular tourist destinations. Therefore, there are no excuses for not shopping around and getting to know him.

San Pedro Alcántara

As we said, is in the province of Malaga, one of the eight provinces that make up Andalusia. Malaga is a land very rich in history, there are ancient dolmens and cave paintings thousands and thousands of years old, but Carthaginians, Romans and Byzantines have also passed through. All this has enriched the culture in a formidable way.

San Pedro Alcántara is 10 kilometers from Marbella and two from Puerto Banús, tourist site if any. The location born from the hand of the foundation of an agricultural colony dedicated to the cultivation of sugar cane in the XNUMXth century. It was founded by the first Márqués del Duero, General Manuel Gutierrez de la Concha e Iriyogen, and not much has changed since then.

Today the town still has its little white houses and buildings, narrow streets, order and neatness. The heart is the Church Square, a white and colonial temple of 1866, center of the catholic cult of the inhabitants. The church burned down completely in 1936, during the Civil War, and had to be restored, so it did not reopen until the early years of the next decade.

The tourist visit to San Pedro Alcántara may well start here, in the Plaza de la Iglesia. The interior of the temple is simple, white, with a central nave with triple portico, turret and hipped roof, restored in 2013, with two lateral naves. If you like religious tourism you can also visit the Parish of the Virgen del Rocío, XNUMXth century and Paleo-Christian basilica of Vega del Mar, one of the oldest in Spain because it is supposed to date from the XNUMXth century. Due to the mixture of cultures you will see many styles in its design.

The next visit in the same area of ​​the square is the Villa of San Luis. It is next to the building and was built in 1887. It was the private home of the Cuadra Raoul family, a family that a few years later bought the entire agricultural colony when the marquis was unable to pay his debts. The family came from Paris, where they lived dedicated to finances and banks, and after the purchase the mansion was built.

The mansion has a French style, three floors and a rectangular design, far removed from the Andalusian style typical of the area. But, considering that the family came from France, it is understandable. However, In the 40s the agricultural colony disintegrated and it was the Marbella City Council who took over the place, of the town and the mansion itself that since then has fulfilled different functions until today, which is the seat of the local mayor's office.

As we can see, everything that is touristy in San Pedro Alcántara is related to its primary activity: the cultivation of sugar cane. From that time one can visit today a farm - model called El Trapiche de Gauadaiza. It functioned as such between 1823 and 1831 and during that time the milling of the mill was driven by the water brought by an aqueduct whose arches are still visible.

It was the first Marquis del Duero, the founder of the agricultural colony, who supplanted the Trapiche de Guadaiza by a sugar factory much more modern. The old building later became a foremen's school where men learned how the agricultural machinery of that time worked. Unfortunately, it did not last long because the joint work of the Marquis and the Spanish State did not go well.

Since then, like the Villa San Luis, the building fulfilled different functions and reforms but it is an interesting place because it is faithful witness and example of the agribusiness activity of the pastor. Five years ago it was renovated and today it is the Trapiche de Guadaiz Cultural Centerto. Another old building is La Alcoholera, old brandy factory and distillery as a by-product of sugar molasses. Today it is a theater center.

The main street of the town is called Boulevard of San Pedro Alcántara, a new street, from the year 2014, the current heart of the site. With a budget of six million euros, seven water areas, gastronomy venues, a semi-urban park, green areas and the planting of new trees and aromatic plants have been designed. Walking around here has become the best ride for locals and occasional visitors.

Another recommended walk is the Promenade, on the edge of the beach and with a total of 3 and a half kilometers. There are many bars along the route and you can walk to Puerto Banús. Or do the reverse.

You can also visit the Three Gardens Park, inaugurated in 2012. It is a large green space that is to the north of the town and is divided into three areas: the Arab Garden, the Mediterranean Garden and the Subtropical Garden. In the first there are orange, palm, olive, fig and pomegranate trees, in the second you will see pine groves, rosemary and broom; and in the third, in formation, more orange trees, jacarandaes or ficus.

San Pedro de Alcántara is, in short, a peaceful, coastal, quiet, no-frills destination, always with a good temperature and a gastronomy based mainly on fresh fish. Are you going to miss it?


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