Nerja Today

Coín, Málaga Province

Coín, chosen by the BBC as the setting for the humungously unsuccessful soap 'Eldorado', is situated in the fertile Rio Grande valley and has been in existence since Roman times, if not longer.

The Romans called it Lacibis and it became a market town and a transition point for minerals quarried to the south in the Sierra Blanca. Marble from these quarries was used in the construction of the Roman town of Italica, which once stood close to Seville, and the town was the birthplace, in 76AD, of the future emperor, Hadrian. The quarrying of marble and the mining of iron ore went on well into the 19th Century.

During the time of the Visigoths, who followed the Romans as rulers of the Iberian peninsula, the town appears to have been pretty much deserted and left to fall into ruin. The Moors resettled and rebuilt it around 929AD and virtually all of its Roman heritage was lost.

1485 saw the Christian reconquest and Coín was taken after a siege in which, according to legend, Christopher Columbus took part. Captain S. E. Cook of the Royal Navy visited Coín, along with Cártama and Alhaurín in 1829, and was impressed enough to write: "These villages are on rising ground above the river and in beauty of situation and cultivation cannot be excelled. They afford a specimen of the whole country when possessed by the Moors, being surrounded by gardens with orange, lemon and palm trees and abounding in all the fine as well as the more common fruits." The orange tree is on Coín's coat of arms.

Leave Nerja on the MA-105, taking the second exit at each of the two roundabouts in quick succession. Follow the N-340/E-15 for 52.7 km direction Torremolinos/ Algeciras/ Cádiz/ Aeropuerto. Take the A-7/E-15 for 6.1 km and then exit 231A to Cártama/ Parque Tecnológico/ Centro/ Puerto.

There is a short link road and once again take the 231A exit towards Cartama. Then follow the A-357 for almost 14km (it changes to Avenida de Andrés Llordén for a short while in the beginning). At the roundabout, take the third exit and continue along the A-357.

Another roundabout and you take the first exit and follow the Carretera de Coín for 1.5km. Take the A-355 for 10.4km (there is a roundabout after 9.6 km, take the second exit). You should now be on the outskirts. Roundabaout - 3rd exit, Carretera de Cartama (A-355). After a short distance it should be the A-366 and then 4th exit at the final roundabout. Voila!

 

Location

Use the arrows to pan around the area (or country) and the zoom (+ and -) to zoom in and out from street level to country level. To centre the map on a particular town or area, double click on your chosen place or area. Then just zoom and pan to your heart's content....Even drag the map around with the mouse....

 

Places of Interest

The shrine of Nuestra Señora de Fuensanta, a beautifully preserved chapel, stands on top of a hill and affords magnificent views. Close by, in a field, is a house where, in 1893, a local priest was shot by intruders who believed him to have hidden away a cache of money. The story of the crime and its aftermath are recounted in Bartolomé Abelenda's book, The Coín Crime.

 

Local Cuisine

Local specialities include:

 

Local Fiestas