| Manilva pueblo
The present town of Manilva, whilst being
the site of both Roman and Moorish settlements, dates back to
the mid-16th century when King Charles V ordered the building
of a watchtower, to warn against attacks from the Barbary pirates
who constantly harrassed the southern coast of Spain, around which
a small community had built up by the turn of the century.
At this time Manilva was part of the municipality
(villa) of Casares, but by 1796 it was given its autonomy and
its Villa status.
The town itself is compact and still presents
a strong Spanish character and atmosphere, with most of the sizeable
foreign community preferring to live closer to the coast and,
unlike the coastal population centres, it still grinds to a halt
during the afternoon siesta.
The largest building in the town is the church.
The Iglesia de Santa Ana, which dates back to the 18th
century replaced a previous church which was destroyed during
an earthquake.
One of the town's chief industries centres
on the vineyards which clothe the hills around it. These sweet
Moscatel grapes are prized, not only for wine, but for the production
of raisins which you can see drying in the sun on the hillsides
during September.
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