The strategic position of Fiñana has determined its extensive history. From the first prehistoric settlements in the surroundings of Castañar, the remains of a Roman villa and of a renowned character, Lucius Alfenus Avitianus, to whom authors attribute the primitive origin of the small Alfenian town as the antecedent of Fiñana, to the present day, all the cultures and civilisations have left their mark here.
In the Al Andalus age Fiñana takes the form of a prominent model hub due to its strategic position for the defence and control of the natural pass between Granada and Almería and as a production centre of silk and cloth, the alfiñame silk scarf being the reference.
The Alcazaba, built at the end of the 9th century, has been a reference point throughout the ages, including following the reconquest by the Christians. Álvaro de Bazán himself, the renowned governor appointed by the Catholic Monarchs after the 29th December 1489, lives there and defends it in the periods of turmoil, such as the Moorish rebellion. Today from the viewpoint set up in one of the turrets we can get an idea of Fiñana’s treasures: the historic and the monuments, and the great natural treasures of forests, a river, ravines and so many natural wonders.
On a stroll around the old town we see the remains of the Alcazaba and the charming neighbourhood of the same name, the Aljibe or old baths, the Almohad Mosque and its plasterwork, a unique reference of that period in Spain; the Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, its masterful Mudejar coffered ceiling and its history, treasures of which are kept in its Sacristy. And the past recaptured in its Museum of History, which brings together the fusion between the noble and Moorish Fiñana, and which every year recreates the stay of the Catholic Monarchs in 1489.
And we also see the stories of daily life recaptured in its Ethnographic Museum. All this and much more is Fiñana.
It is also the culinary culture, with the survival of dishes like zaramandoña, the gachas porridge, or the rich tradition of Al-Andalus confectionery. And the festivities preserved over time, like Corpus Christi, the patron saint festivities in honour of St Sebastian and St Antonio Abad or the San Isidro Pilgrimage.
And, besides, the magical mountains, which offer us other natural treasures. Visit the Natural Environment Interpretation Centre, do routes on foot, by bike, or on horseback, enjoy the birds, the flowers, the water and the sounds of nature, and rest at any of the fantastic existing rural accommodation. This and much more is Fiñana, noble, Moorish and 100 per cent natural.
