Poniente Granadino is in the centre of Andalusia, the southest Autonomous Community in Spain. It is located between the City of Granada & the Sierra Nevada on the one side and the City of Malaga and the Costa del Sol on the other one. It is also bouded with the Province of Cordoba. The differences of altitude, from the Iznajar lake, 425 metres above sea level, to the Mount(peak) Maroma, a lofty 2,625 metres, means vast array of different, breathtaking scenarios for the nature lover. And its strategic situation means that the traveller can visit several major historical centres of Andalusia in single-day trips.


A touch of history
Poniente Granadino is known as “The last arabian frontier of Spain”, This slogan represents the important role that these towns and their people played during the final years of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the last muslim presence in Spain. The end of the last moorish kingdom in Spain began with the fall of our towns. Remains of the moorish civilization as well as archeological vestiges that go back to paleolithic times, together with buildings made after the Christinan conquer are splitted out through the landscape.


Major attractions
The cultural richness of Poniente Granadino is shown in the declaration of some historical towns by the Andalusian Autonomous Government: Loja, Alhama, Montefrio and Moclin.
Alhama is a major spa, a paradise of vegetation and water, with thermal springs that gush out at 47ºC. The therapeutic value of the waters was already well known by the Romans and the Arabs.
A network of rivers and strams criss-crosses the region. Over the centuries they have eaten away at the rocks to form spectacular valleys and gorges like those in Alhama, Cacín, Montefrio, Loja and Moclín.


Cuisine
Pinzgauer “kasnock´n” is a traditional local dish, eaten straight out of the pan placed in the middle of the table. Its basic ingredients are flour, eggs, salt, water, butter, original Pinzgauer cheese, onion and chives. It is eaten with salad and milk. The other outstanding local speciality is the lamb, not forgetting the wide range of produce from the ecological farms.


Activities
The history and tradition of the Poniente Granadino are reflected in its local dishes.
During the hunting season, partridge and rabbit form the basis of the dishes in the north of the region. Meat is an essential part of such well-known delights as “choto al ajillo” or veal with garlic, a dish of fairly certain moorish origin ,and pork stuffing & sausages.
In the centre of the region the two most outstanding specialities are the green-violet asparagus from Huetor-Tajar and trout from Riofrio.
In the south of the region the traveller cannot afford to miss the delicious “Olla Jamena”, eaten with wine produced in Alhama.. Also highly appreciated are the sweetmeats produced by monasteries, featuring such mouth-watering delights as “Roscos de San Antonio”, “Bienmesabe”, and the “Rosco de Alhahud”.


How to get there
The A92 motorway crosses the region from east to west.
There are several railway stations spread throughout the area and it is well connected by bus service with the big Cities in Andalusia.
Granada International Airport is thirty minutes away. Malaga Airport
with flights to the five continents is 80 kilometres (50 miles) away.