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Andalusia by train: Malaga-Seville line: El Chorro/ Osuna/ Marchena

The Renfe Malaga-Seville line offers the adventurous traveller a chance to discover some delightful destinations. The train runs approximately every three hours from the María Zambrano Station. The first interesting stop on the Malaga section of the route is El Chorro. This is a popular destination for rock climbers and hikers seeing as it is located close to the Los Gaitanes Gorge. The main attraction is the Caminito del Rey (King’s pathway), a breath-taking cliff-side walkway hanging 100m above the Guadalhorce River. Known as ‘the scariest path in Spain’, it is extremely popular with tourists, although it is most definitely not for the faint-hearted or those that suffer with vertigo.

Another spectacular destination on this route is Osuna, a town that offers some of the most beautiful civil architecture in Andalusia. Expect to become seduced by this picturesque town, as a wander around the old barrio is like stepping back in time. Declared by UNESCO as one of Spain’s most beautiful streets, the steeply descending Calle San Pedro boasts some of the most luxurious palaces in Osuna, the most spectacular of which is the former colligate chapter house at number 16.

Andalusian patios

Take the opportunity to admire the beautiful secluded patios, abundant with flowers, hanging plants and cooling water features, because Andalusians are proud of their patios and are generally welcoming to visitors.

The geographical centre of Osuna is Plaza Mayor, and from here, all the town’s main attractions can be accessed. Most visitors make a beeline for the colligate church, which sits at the highest point of the town. The bas-relief above the west portal is badly damaged: if we are to believe English travel writer Richard Ford; the damage was caused by French soldiers who used it for target practice during the War of Independence.

The interior houses a magnificent collection of religious art, and of interest is the sixteenth century organ, one of the surviving few of its kind in Andalucía. However, the highlight of the visit is the decent to the spectacular pantheon and chapel of the Dukes of Osuna. The crypt takes the form of a tiny church and is decorated with spectacular Renaissance art. 

Behind the church is one of Osuna’s most spectacular buildings, the University of the Immaculate Conception, a rectangular, turreted building organised around an arcaded courtyard.

Surrounded by olive groves and fields of cereal crop, Marchena, the stop after Osuna, is a town of historic, architectural and cultural importance. The town’s art museum, located in the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, is named after Spanish artist Zurbarán, who received patronage from the lords of Marchena in 1634. The 15th century Gothic-Mudéjar church displays a collection of Zurbarán’s paintings (the most notable is the Immaculate Conception), as well as a set of 15th century liturgical miniature books and a splendid Epistle organ.  

 A popular tourist attraction is the Arco de Rosa, a 15th century door in Marchena’s defensive wall. The arch is associated with an old legend that claims the name relates to a Moorish princess who threw roses over the wall to her forbidden Christian lover.         

Majestic attraction

One of the town’s unusual attractions is the phalanx of storks that nest in the towers of its many old churches. The train station is situated outside the town centre, so be prepared for a good walk into the centre, but remember to look up: the sight of one of these majestic creatures gliding overhead adds an extra charm to this dormant old town. 

Excerpt of an article that first appeared in SUR in English in July 2020     


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