Genalguacil: a genuine Andalusian village full of art rusticaltravel.com

Lying in the lower Genal Valley in the southern Ronda Mountains area of Andalusia, pretty and whitewashed Genalguacil is an unpretentious and genuine village, yet home to one of the most original artistic initiatives in Spain.

Visitors strolling around the streets of Genalguacil will bump into the many sculptures and murals created during the Genalguacil Art Encounters, held at the village every other year since 1994 during the first fortnight of August. Many artists leave the village after the event, yet the works created at the improvised open air workshops stay to inhabit the streets of Genalguacil, making it feel like an al fresco museum displaying original, witty or plainly beautiful pieces.

If we cast our gaze towards the unspoilt montainous area surrounding Genalguacil and the equally lovely villages of Algatocin, Jubrique or Gaucin, we’ll find a rich forest populated with Mediterranean vegetation. For a drop-dead sight visit Los Reales exotic fir forest, from where one can see as far as the Mediterranean Sea.