A poetic village
Frigiliana is a poetic village full of whitewashed houses, winding streets, staircases and courtyards. You can spend hours wandering around the winding urban space and enjoying the views along the way.
The town has a wealth of restaurants, bars and shops selling ceramics, chocolate, wine, vegetables and groceries. The central square, which unites the new part of town with historic Frigiliana, has a market on Thursdays. There's also a playground and the popular Café Virtudes meeting place.
Frigiliana has attracted artists and bohemians from England, Denmark and other countries over the years. Artists such as Leif Sylvester Petersen, Søren Kent, Dorthe Krabbe and Arne Haugen Sørensen have long had homes in the town. The latter still works here, and his family runs Galleri Krabbe a stone's throw from Casa Doña Angela.
There are both classic eateries in the city and restaurants that are innovating. The latter include the Garden Restaurant and El Colmao wine bar, which serves small dishes and organises wine tastings with the best of Spain's vineyards.
Facts about Frigiliana
Frigiliana is located in the mountains a few km north of the seaside resort of Nerja. Malaga International Airport is about an hour's drive away.
There are greengrocers, butchers, wine shops and fishmongers in Frigiliana, where you can shop and prepare delicious meals in the house's country kitchen. Well-stocked supermarkets can be found in Nerja 10 minutes away.
History of Frigiliana
Neanderthals have lived in the area around Frigiliana for more than half a million years. The last disappeared about 25,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens settled here. Modern Frigiliana dates back to the Phoenicians, who arrived in the area 3000 years ago.
Like the rest of Andalusia, Frigiliana was a Muslim town for several hundred years until the late 15th century. For many years, Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side in the town. The church served mainly as a mosque and the old town is full of traces of the Moorish period. It is called the Moorish Quarter for the same reason.
After the expulsion of the Moors, Frigiliana gradually declined. Many made a living from small-scale farming outside the town and growing sugar cane. Today, Frigiliana is flourishing again and consists of a new and an old town. The two meet on the lifeline: the Square of the Three Cultures - Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
You can read much more about the history and life of Frigiliana in the book The Andalusian Dream by Lasse Thielfoldt and Tina Scheftelowitz.
