La Alpujarra, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada

The southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, south of Granada, were the last stronghold of the Moors in medieval Spain. The area is renowned for the white painted villages that seemingly cling to the mountainsides. Narrow windy roads follow the terraced slopes and provide stunning  vistas at almost every turn.
The cultivated terraces are irrigated by the water channels – acequias – carved out by peoples more ancient than the Moors, and are still to this day vital to both the olive and fruit and vegetable production.
The Alpujarra offers superb walking and a small industry has developed providing guided  walks in the area, including ascent to Mulhacen, which at 3,482m is the highest peak in Spain. At the heads of some of the highest western valleys in the ‘High Alpujarra’ lie villages such as Trevelez, capital of jamon Serrano, the famous cured ham of the mountains.

IMAGES OF LA ALPUJARRA