Moorish villages and Muscat wine: Day trip from Malaga

Draped across a hillside above the Chillar river, Frigiliana is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Andalusia, a steeply terraced labyrinth of whitewashed lanes, ceramic-tiled stairways, and flowering balconies with a Moorish core that survived the 1569 Morisco revolt.

What to see

• See the Barribarto, the upper Moorish quarter, whose narrow alleys and tiered houses follow the original Islamic street plan
• Admire ceramic tile panels set into the walls throughout the village, illustrating scenes from the 1569 battle between the Moriscos and the Spanish forces, an open-air history trail
• Soak up the views from the upper terraces across the Vélez river valley to the coast and sea

What to do

• Walk the full Barribarto circuit slowly, the street art, the flower-draped balconies, and the sudden views reward attention What to eat
• Frigiliana's famous cane sugar molasses (miel de cana), still produced in the village and used in local sweets, cheeses, and ice cream

At 2083 feet (635 meters) above sea level in the heart of the Axarquia, Competa is a white village perched on a ridge between the coast and the Sierra Tejeda, known equally for its views, its August wine fiesta, and the dry Moscatel wines made from vines on the terraces below.

What to see

• Explore the main square, Plaza Almijara, with its whitewashed church and surrounding terrace bars * Admire the surrounding landscape of abandoned Moorish terraces, planted with Moscatel vines and almond and olive trees on slopes too steep for machinery What to do
• Have lunch on the square terrace and take in the mountain and coastal views simultaneously, on clear days the African Rif mountains are visible

What to eat

• Competa's traditional ajoblanco (cold almond and garlic soup) and slow-roasted kid (cabrito) with local wine

On a rocky hillside above Sayalonga, Bodegas Bentomiz is one of only a handful of serious Moscatel, or Muscat, producers in the Axarquia, a small estate committed to reviving and refining the wine variety the Moors introduced to these slopes over a thousand years ago.

What to see

• Explore the estate's terraced vineyards, planted with Moscatel de Alejandría on the steep schist slopes where the variety has grown since the medieval period
• Visit the bodega and cellar, where Moscatel grapes are vinified into dry whites, off-dry styles, and the estate's celebrated sweet Ariyanas Naturalmente Dulce

What to do

• Join a guided tasting of Bentomiz's full range, from the bone-dry Ariyanas Sobre Lías to the rich sweet wine

What to buy

• Ariyanas Sobre Lías (dry Moscatel) and a bottle of the sweet Naturalmente Dulce, both difficult to find outside the estate

Take note

• Tastings must be booked in advance at bodegasbentomiz.com