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Campillos
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Town history
Gastronomy
  • Campillos is one of the eight villages in the region of Guadalteba, in the province of Malaga. Campillos is an interesting destination for inland tourism. Its streets are a pleasant combination of centuries-old stately homes and more recent buildings.

    The Lagunas de Campillo Nature Reserve makes Campillos a perfect place to practice tourism in contact with the local nature.

    NOT TO MISS IN CAMPILLOS

    MONUMENTS

    Campillos has valuable archaeological sites, especially in the Guadalteba Park, where you will find the ruins of a Roman village. Other archaeological sites of interest are the Capacete, Cortijo de la Cuesta, Castillones and the Camorra-Peñarrubia complex.

    The Necropolis of Aguilillas also makes for an interesting visit in Campillos. It is a cemetery dating back approximately 4,000 years, excavated from the rock.

    Under the suggestive name of the Museum of Life, we find the town"s ethnography centre. There, we can discover photographs, toys and everyday objects whose purpose is to show the historical evolution of Campillos and its inhabitants.

    In Campillos, tourists can enjoy visits to four historical hermitages: the hermitage of San Benito is named in honor of the patron saint of Campillos and was built between 1578 and 1596. The chapel of Santa Ana was also built in those years and San Sebastián a few years later. The chapel of Our Lady of Bethlehem is also an essential stop for visitors.

    The Church of Santa Maria del Reposo originated in 1506. The temple underwent major modifications in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Its has a baroque facade and and interior divided into three naves with beautiful chapels. Important features are the great altar and a valuable seventeenth century carving: Our Lady of Rest.

  • Campillos is 74 kilometres from the city of Málaga. The best way to get there is by car, driving along the A-357. If you opt for public transport, the bus ride will be three-and-a-half hours by taking the Archidona-Ronda bus at the Málaga Bus Station until you get off at the stop for Campillos.

  • NATURAL RESOURCES

    The Lagunas de Campillos Nature Reserve is made up of 1,126 hectares of wetlands. In this reserve, we can enjoy watching birds like flamingos or stilts: this is the most interesting natural enclave in Campillos. Another suitable place for this type of activity is the vulture observatory in Peñarrubia.

    As is typical in the Guadalteba region, Campillos also has very attractive caves. The Jaguazar, Boca de la Peña and Herrerias caves are worth visiting, as are the Moscón and Peñarrubia chasms.

    Parts of the Guadalhorce and Guadalteba reservoirs bathe areas of the municipality of Campillos. There, you can enjoy water sports and other activities of active tourism: it is worth recalling its proximity to the spectacular Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park.

    LEISURE ACTIVITY CENTRES

    In addition to all these places to visit, Campillos has a space where fun and adrenalin are guaranteed: Karting Campillos. An excellent, 1588-metre karting circuit for the enjoyment of anyone who wants to test their driving skills, and where national and international competitions are also held.

    POPULAR FESTIVALS

    Semana Santa (Easter Week) and the Fair are two of the best times to visit the village. Semana Santa has been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in Andalusia. Ten processions of silence (without a marching band) travel the streets of Campillos, accompanied by brotherhoods founded in the sixteenth century.

    July 11 is the festival of the town's patron saint, San Benito Abad, and a unique traditional celebration is held.

    The Campillos Fair takes place over four days in mid-August, and a host of activities for young and old take place.

    The town also hosts a Book Fair and a week dedicated to the performing arts called the "Candilejas de Verano" ("Summer Limelight"). Also during the summer, Campillos celebrates a Ham Festival and a short film festival.

    GASTRONOMY

    Olive oil and flour are the main products of Campillos and the best ingredients for local dishes. Dishes like stew, steak, cured meats and pork loin in lard are essential to the cuisine of this town.

    Those who like tomato in all its forms shold be aware of dishes such as gazpacho and porra campillera (made with bread, tomato, peppers, tuna and garlic, among other ingredients).

    For dessert, visitors shouldn't miss some homemade magdalenas or oil buns (made with a fine dough, extra virgin olive oil and aniseed).

  • Town history

    Campillos boasts a strategic location somewhere between the eastern and the western parts of Andalusia, as well as between the south and the hinterland. What is more, it lies at equal distance from major cities like Antequera or Ronda. This turned it into a transit area very early in history, a place men and goods had to travel by to reach many different destinations.

    The archaeological evidence found in Castillones, Capacete, Capitán, Moraleja, La Mezquita and Aljibejo traces the presence of man from the Neolithic period to Roman times. Las Aguilillas is a troglodyte cemetery in a huge rock; about 200 tool fragments were found in it belonging to cavemen.

    Traces of Roman villas and baths were found in other sites, alongside a high number of coins from the times of Augustus, Claudius, Trajan and Constantine. These findings attest to the existence of settlements that must have been destroyed during the Germanic invasions. The first record of the village as we can see it today date from 1492, in the days of the repopulation initiated by the Catholic Monarchs. Christians hailing from Teba and Osuna founded the modern village.

    In the second half of the sixteenth century, significant growth led to the expansion of the town centre. It was in those years that the Shrines of San Benito and Santa Ana and the Church of Santa María del Reposo were built. Campillos even had a larger population than Teba, the city it belonged to in terms of jurisdiction. Village status was granted to it in 1680.

    In 1975, the lands that used to belong to Peñarrubia were annexed to this municipality in the region of Guadalteba. The people living in this district were evicted in the 1970s for the construction of the Guadalteba reservoir. The old village still exists in the depth of the reservoir.

  • Olive oil, along with flour are Campillos main agricultural products that are signature ingredients in every single one of their local dishes. Dishes like cocido, churrasco or chachinas along with lomo en manteca (marinated pork loin cooked and preserved in lard) are essential parts of this town’s culinary canon. Of course, there must be room left for dessert, so for that, Campillos traditionally has homemade muffins (magdalenas) or olive oil fritters (bollos de aceite).


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Characteristics

  • Inhabitants (5,001-10,000)
  • Inland area

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