Antequera is some 50 minutes away from Cortijo las Rosas by car and is a large town with good restaurants and shops.  There is a large market held there every Tuesday morning.    It is a town with large, baroque buildings.  A walk around the streets allows for unexpected glimpses of fabulous courtyards in both private and public buildings.   There is a well renovated bull ring with an attached restaurant right beside the Paseo Real, which is a small park. Highlights include the Neolithic to Bronze Age dolmens (some of Europe’s largest).  The three dolmens date from 2500 to 1800BC and a new information centre has recently been opened beside the Dolmen de Menga and the Dolmen de Viera.  The later Dolmen del Romeral is a bit further out of town.

There are substantial remains of the hilltop  Moorish castle (the Alcazar) which overlooks the town.   The view over the town and surrounding countryside is well worth the walk up through the impressive archway (Arch of the Giants, built in 1585) to the plaza below the alcazar.   In the plaza there is a pleasant restaurant (Los Escribianos) and you can sit outside in the sunshine for a meal without traffic noise and fumes, as the area is pedestrianised.

There are another 32 churches to see in Antequera along with other impressive mansions, mainly dating from the  town’s ‘golden age’ during the 16th & 17th centuries.

We can recommend several good restaurants with typical Andaluz fare to suit various pockets.