ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS AUGUST 22 2002

The Andalucian summer is not just sun and beach. We now give you some suggestions of places to visit in inland Andalucía… In the 24 Nature Parks in the region we can find true marvels of nature, such as the Pinsapo Spanish Fir, in the Sierra de las Nieves in Málaga, declared a biosphere reserve. Also the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas is thus classified. The rivers Guadalquivir and Segura have their source here. In Huelva we can see the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche. The closeness to the Atlantic allows the existence of forest of Chestnuts. The Sierra de Hornachuelos in Córdoba, with its deep valleys and abundent water, allow the Ash, Willow, Wild Olive and Poplar to thrive. The Cork Oak, a survivor from the primitive Iberian forests, grow in abundance in the Sierra de los Alcornocales, in Cádiz and Málaga. The extraction of cork is a very important activity. Seville and its Sierra Norte, is one of the wettest places in Andalucía. The breeding of the Iberian Pig and the breeding of bulls, make man and nature good allies here. In Almería, Sierra María, we are surprised by the large masses of dolomitic and calcareous rocks. The Almería villages in this district are spread out on beautiful mountains which can reach a height of 2,000m. In Granada, the Sierra de Alhama, Tejeda and Almijara, are covered with pines and Holm Oaks. They range as far as Nerja, where we can find the famous and impressive Nerja Cave.

MÁLAGA COPLA EXHIBITION
In the Málaga Municipal Museum we can find an exhibition dedicated the popular Spanish song – the Copla. We can see posters of the most important figures in this singing style as well as drawings of guitars. The artist is Eugenio Chicano, a Málaga man in love with the Copla since childhood. These posters are made up with the images of the singers framed in an original way. The drawings of guitars are the homage of the artist to this so Spanish of instruments. The exhibition pays homage to artists no longer with us, such as Antonio Molina, Estrellita Castro, Juanita Reina and Carlos Cano as well as other more contemporary singers such as Pasión Vega and Martirio. The work of Eugenio Chicano will continue in Málaga until September 9, and then travel to other Andalucian provinces such as Granada and Cádiz.

RONDA BANDITS MUSEUM
The town of Ronda is one of the most visited places in the province of Málaga. It's monuments, popular traditions and its Arab past, make this place one of the most popular with tourists. One of the most popular legends is that of the bandits, personalities which have passed to form part of the history of the Ronda district. Characters such as El Tempranillo, Tragabuches, Luis Candelas or Pasos Largos, are represented in the museum which shows us their adventures back in the 19th century and which submerges us in the atmosphere of a bandit adventure. The museum is made up of five rooms, where articles from the press, objects, clothes and goods and chattels are displayed, all showing the life and times of these famous personalities as if they were real life figures. The Ronda Bandit museum also offers us a peculiar exhibition dedicated to the creation of the Civil Guard, with both its successes and its failures in attempts to capture the bandits. A place where we can enjoy what has already passed into the history of Ronda.

LA TABERNA DEL TORO
A flamenco spectacle without complexes. Aimed specially at tourists and which, for the first time, allows them to understand the best of the Andalucian art. 'La Taberna del Toro', as the spectacle is called, will explain the significance of flamenco in four languages, and act as another complementary attraction for tourists on the Costa del Sol. The 'Numero 10' dance company have come up with the idea, supported by the Tourism department of the Junta de Andalucía. Under the direction and choreography of Elvira López, dancers and singers offer, in the Alameda Theatre in Málaga, a wide repertoire of Malagueñas, Alegrías, Sevillanas and Soleás, ending with a fiesta Por Bulerías. So far 19 performances of La Taberna del Toro have been planned which will end on December 17, and offer on stage a realistic and intimate view of the art of flamenco each week.

ARCHEOLOGICAL REMAINS AT CERCADILLA
Among the many activities you can do during the summer, as well enjoying the marvellous coast of Andalucía, we can head inland into a province such as Córdoba and visit the archaeological remains at Cercadilla. The guided visits to the area, carried out by members of the site research group, take place every Saturday and Sunday and last approximately two hours, and has as its starting point the information booth at the bus station. During the visits the archaeological remains at the bus station site will be shown, as well as those, from different periods, next to the Renfe train station, including those found in the latest excavations carried out during the years 1997 to 1999. The Junta de Andalucía has issued a protection order for the current site, classifying it as an archaeological zone. Right next by, an area has been reserved for the creation of an Information Centre for the Cercadilla Archaeological site.

ARDALES AND PIÑAR CAVE
Among the numerous activities which we can carryout during Summer in Andalucía, we can visit caves which show us the remains of those who lived in our area millions of years ago. One of the them is the Ardales cave in Málaga, which we can visit on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, in groups of 15 people booked in advance at the town hall. Here we can contemplate paintings and drawings from the late Palaeolithic time over a route where a technician helps to guide the visitors. In Granada province the cave of Las Ventanas in Piñar, gives us the chance to cover 500metres of marvellous rock formations which were inhabited by man some 25,000 years ago. A tourist train leaves from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento each hour and takes the visitors to the cave, where a tourist guide accompanies the group during the whole route. Evidence of those who lived in Andalucía millions of years ago, and which we have the chance to visit during our holidays.