Castillo de la Duquesa

Situated just to the west of the marina of Puerto de la Duquesa is the small hamlet of Castillo. Taking it's name from the Castillo de la Duquesa, an 18th Century fortress which stands at the entrance, this fishing village can trace it's history back to at least Roman times when it was a bustling industrial centre whose chief products were salted fish and a rather peculiar paste made from fermented fish guts known as Garum. This ancient 'Gentlemen's Relish' was much sought after back in Rome and so brought a great deal of prosperity to this corner of the Empire.

The remnants of the Roman settlement can still be seen today. To southwest of the Castle, next to the 'Plaza de Banos', is the old old bathhouse. Although currently behind a locked gate you can still see the remains of the boilerhouse with it's oven and 'hypocausts' (underfloor heating) and large stone bathing tank, as well as patches of the original mosaic flooring.

Between the Castle and the main road is the site of a Roman villa of which just the foundations and the ubiquitous hypocausts are still visible.

And to the northeast between the Castle and the Port is where the salt pans and fermentation tanks were located.

The Castle itself was built in the 1760's and the architect, Francisco Paulino, was granted command of a company of cavalry by King Charles III for his services.

Since then the building has had many uses and is currently used for exhibitions and cultural events, as well as council offices.

Heading into the village you soon realise how compact it is, yet there is still room for some very pleasant squares, bars, restaurants (some of the best fish restaurants in the area are located here) and it even has it's own church - Iglesia Nuestra Senora del Carmen.

Standing on top of the sea defenses, built in 2002/2003 after a particularly violent spring storm inundated several of the houses along the seafront and resulted in a couple of them being demolished, you have an uninterrupted view from Africa and right along the Costa del Sol towards Fuengirola.