Lucainena de las Torres
Lucainena de las Torres is a small white village 550 metres up on the north side of the Sierra Alhamilla, named after its seven medieval towers and known for its old iron-mining kilns.
About Lucainena de las Torres
Lucainena sits at about 550 metres below the Peñón de Lucainena (1,004 m) on the north side of the Sierra Alhamilla. The Moorish village had a mosque and a wall with six towers around a main tower, hence its old name, Lucainena de las Siete Torres. It passed to Castile in 1488–89 and was emptied after the Morisco revolt in 1570. Iron mining brought a boom around 1900; today it has about 720 inhabitants.
The 18th-century church of Nuestra Señora de Montesión, fortress-like and neoclassical, replaced a church of 1505 on the mosque. Around it, whitewashed lanes are lined with potted plants. The Molinillo windmill stands on the highest rock where a watchtower stood, and springs from the Peñón feed the stone washhouse of La Fuente. At the entrance, eight tower-like kilns of about 1900 recall the iron mines.
Lucainena is 56 km (50 minutes) from Almería via the A-92 or N-340a. Use the free car park on Calle Bilbao by the Vía Verde, 400 m from the centre. Allow one to two hours, or half a day with a walk. The level 5 km Vía Verde to El Saltador suits families, cyclists and wheelchair users with help.
Spring is best, when the Día de las Flores in May brings fandangos danced in traditional dress. San Sebastián in late January brings a shower of bread rings, and the Virgen de Montesión fair falls in the third week of September. Try gurullos with rabbit, pelotas de maíz and almond alfajores. Take water and a hat on the Vía Verde.
Lucainena de las Torres in pictures
What you’ll find
- Car parkParkingFree
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
Just over the hills, Níjar (8 km) is known for its pottery and jarapas, and its Memory of Water Museum (8 km) explains how this arid district stored and shared water. To the east, Sorbas (9 km) has houses hanging over a gorge, and the Cuevas de Sorbas (10 km) offer guided caving in gypsum. West of the village, the Tabernas Desert (21 km) is a landscape of badlands and film sets. Walkers and cyclists can follow the old mining railway on the Camino Natural for about 15 km to the Venta del Pobre, on the way to Agua Amarga.
Lucainena de las Torres at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Location
Filabres-Tabernas, Almería
Town
Lucainena de las Torres
Address
Plaza de la Iglesia, 04210 Lucainena de las Torres, Almería, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. The church opens for services; the old railway station at the start of the Vía Verde serves as a tourist information point.
Prices
Free to walk around; the kilns, washhouse, windmill and Vía Verde are free.
Website
lucainenadelastorres.es
Phone
+34 950 364 068
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Lucainena de las Torres, nearest first.
