It’s one of Andalucia’s most emblematic white-washed villages and is rightly recognised as one of Spain’s ‘most beautiful pueblos’.
This is Casares, a hilltop village that was the birthplace of Blas Infante, a historical figure known as the ‘father of Andalucia’.
Throw that in with its typical cobbled and narrow winding streets and rolling green hills, and it’s no surprise it’s been dubbed ‘the cradle of Andalucia’.
The town makes the perfect day trip and is just a 25-minute drive from Estepona on the Costa del Sol.
Casares is steeped in history and dates back to the ancient Iberian civilisation, which originally settled there before the arrival of the Romans.
The town was seen as strategic thanks to its elevated and clear view of the Mediterranean coast.
Julius Caesar himself is thought to have visited the nearby Roman thermal baths in La Hedionda.
Legend has it that he attributed the baths’ sulphuric waters with curing a liver issue he was suffering from.
Casares was later occupied by the Moors who fortified the citadel, allowing it to flourish.
Like many towns dotted around the region, there are various signs of its medieval Islamic past, including its narrow, winding streets and hilltop castle.
It became a part of the Kingdom of Castile in 1485, during the Reconquista.
