Torvizcón, La Contraviesa

Torvizcón is the largest and most important town in La Contraviesa, the mountain range in Las Alpujarras between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small, picturesque and traditional agricultural town where many of its houses still devote their basements for the farm animals and to store crops.

Whichever route you take, you don’t just arrive in Torvizcón, you fall upon it the moment you begin to wonder if you haven’t taken the wrong road and usually it is love at first sight, literally.

The population is less than 1,000 inhabitants. Its Parish Church of the Virgin del Rosario was built in the 16 century in Mudéjar style. The Fiesta of San Antonio Abad, the patron saint of Torvizcón, (or the fire fiesta) is celebrated in January over 3 days and the town’s fair takes place in October.

Torvizcón is self-sufficient. It has a primary school, a hotel, a pension (both offering home-cooked meals), a bank, a pharmacy, supermarkets and a couple of bars. It also has a public swimming pool and an excellent furniture shop. Both the hotel and the pension offer meals. There is an ambulant market on the 1st and 16th of every month.

Communication is easy on the A348. The lively town of Orgiva is at only 20km, Granada City at about an hour’s drive and the coast at only 45 minutes. Also within reach are the ski slopes of Sierra Nevada.

Many activities can be had, amongst them: horseback riding, mountain biking, rambling and climbing, motor biking as well as language, music and dance classes.

La Contraviesa is dotted with beautiful villages of which Almegíjar, Cádiar, Rubite, Notáez etc. It is best known for its almond groves and the elaboration of wine, mostly ecological, known as "Vino de la Tierra" or "Vino Costa". It boasts the highest vineyard in Europe situated at an altitude of 1.368m.

People from all over Spain come to visit these hills around January/February when the almond trees are in blossom. They also come for wine tasting.

Written by Hiam Odds - Owner of Property 400650 in Torvizcon, Spain