Regional guide to Almeria - Sorbas to Vera

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Sorbas

Sorbas is a pretty mountain village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and famous for both its spectacular setting, high above a deep gorge, and for its attractive ceramics. The town has many historic buildings, including the sixteenth-century Iglesia de Santa María, the theatre, and the houses of the Duke of Alba, the Duke of Valoig, and the Marqués de Carpio. These were the old family homes of these aristocrats and were built in sober Castilian style. The casas colgadas, or ‘hanging houses,’ that appear to be glued to the sides of the deep gorge on which Sorbas is built are also

well worth a look. Close by, at Karst en Yesos are the Cuevas de Sorbas, a network of spectacular interconnected gypsum caves reaching depths of 12km.

Turre

Turre is an agricultural town set back from the sea and to the west of Mojácar. The local cuisine is highly-regarded and best known for its strongly-flavoured local stews - gurullos, olla de trigo and pelotas - and for dishes such as migas, caracoles (snails), fritailla and ajo colorao (a fish, potato and paprika dish). Just beyond the town is Sierra Cabrera, a development built as a quasi-Moorish settlement and now largely settled by immigrant homeowners. Part of the development, which has fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, includes the 9-hole Cortijo Grande golf course, the first of many to be built in the area.

Vera

Once famous for its Arab and Phoenician-style pottery and ceramics, Vera is now the main market town of the area and its centre of local government. The Saturday morning market is popular for its locally-grown fruit and vegetables, clothes and cookware.There is a museum of local history within the town council buildings. It has exhibits relating to the different civilizations who have settled in the area throughout the centuries, such as the Argars and the Romans. The bullring, constructed in 1879 at the height of Vera’s prosperity, is the oldest in Almería. Vera is undergoing extensive development of its tourist industry. Hotels, holiday homes and residential urbanisations in the areas of  Puerto Rey, Pueblo Laguna, Las Marinas and the Playazo beach have meant Vera has expanded out to, and along the coast.