Cañete la Real

With a population of 2.300 inhabitants is a bordering town between “La Serranía de Ronda” and the administrative district of Antequera. Its name is derived from the Arabic term, Hins Cannit or Quannit, which means “the Castle of Cannit”. Following a Royal Decree from King Alfonso XI, the post- descriptive term “Real” is added.

The remains of human settlements from the Neolithic Period are the most ancient that have been found in the area. The Iberians, on their part, settled on a nearby hill, which they named “Sabora”. Afterwards, the Romans moved the urban centre to the more plain area and the Emperor Vespasian conferred to it the title of municipal district, building statues and striking coins in its honour. After repeated conquests and reconquests by Arabs and Christians, it is finally incorporated into the Castilla Crown in 1407.

Interesting monuments to visit are the Parish Church of San Sebastián, which dates from the Fifteenth Century but was rebuilt after an earthquake in the Eighteenth Century, the Convent of San Francisco, from the Seventeenth century and the Monastery of “El Santísimo Sacramento de las Monjas Carmelitas”, hailing from the Eighteenth Century. At present, the fortress of “Hans Cannit” is in a phase of reconstruction. The most important feast that takes place in the town is the one dedicated to “La Virgen de Canosantos” and its typical dishes are “la porra”, the pork derivates and the delicious sweets and fairy cakes made by the cloister nuns.