{"id":73969,"date":"2022-04-28T23:49:29","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T21:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitanddo_1790.test\/?p=73969"},"modified":"2026-09-30T22:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:05:02","slug":"curiosities-from-setenil-de-las-bodegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/curiosities-from-setenil-de-las-bodegas\/","title":{"rendered":"10 curiosities of Setenil de las Bodegas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Setenil has 2,700 inhabitants<\/strong> and more history per square metre than almost any other village in the mountains.<\/p>\n

Ten things<\/strong> which explain why, giving specific names, dates and streets.<\/p>\n\n

1. It took seven sieges to capture it<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s where the name comes from.<\/strong> From Latin septem nihil<\/em>, \u201cseven times nothing\u201d, referring to the seven failed Christian sieges.<\/p>\n

It began with John II of Castile in 1402<\/strong> and it didn\u2019t fall until the 21 September 1484<\/strong>, by the time of the Catholic Monarchs: eighty-two years of attempts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And this latest siege has a name:<\/strong> faced the Marquis of C\u00e1diz<\/strong> against Abu al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Kurdi<\/strong>, governor of the Nasrid fortress.<\/p>\n

Why it was so difficult:<\/strong> The village is nestled in the river gorge, and the fortress was renowned for impregnable<\/strong>. Its fall, together with that of \u00c1lora, changed the course of the War of Granada.<\/p>\n\n

2. The wine that gave him his surname<\/h2>\n

\u00abDe las Bodegas\u00bb is not merely decorative.<\/strong> The caves and tunnels in the gorge, which maintain a stable temperature all year round, were used for centuries as wine cellars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It was phylloxera that destroyed the vineyard<\/strong>, the insect that ravaged Spain\u2019s vineyards in the late 19th century<\/strong>. The crops were replaced by olive trees and cereals, but the name remained.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s one last nod:<\/strong> local wine \u20187Mil Pasos\u2019<\/strong> refers to ad septem milia<\/em>, \u00abseven Roman miles\u00bb, in homage to the vineyard\u2019s origins.<\/p>\n\n

3. The houses are not carved out of the rock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Houses
The houses close in around the gap: the rock forms the roof.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is the most common misunderstanding.<\/strong> They are not cave dwellings carved out of the rock: the neighbours covered the natural shelters with a fa\u00e7ade<\/strong> which the river had carved out in the gorge. The rock is the roof<\/strong>, rather than a built structure.<\/p>\n

The technical term is \u00absemi-troglodyte\u00bb<\/strong>, and the architecture is known as \u00abshelter beneath the rocks\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And it works:<\/strong> generates a natural microclimate<\/strong> which keeps the interior cool in summer and warm in winter.<\/p>\n

The river has two names<\/strong>, just in case you get confused: Guadalporc\u00fan<\/strong>, also known as Trejo River<\/strong>. It\u2019s the same one.<\/p>\n

The oldest surviving house<\/strong> It is in the neighbourhood of San Benito<\/strong>, next to its chapel, and dates from the XVIth century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

4. It became independent from Ronda in 1630<\/h2>\n

Following the conquest, Setenil came under the jurisdiction of Ronda<\/strong>, and he didn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

The village had a significance all of its own: church, hospital and even a seminary<\/strong>, something not all the residents of the mountainous region could say. After numerous lawsuits<\/strong>, gained independence by a royal decree signed in 1630<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Before that, during the Muslim period, the fortress was called Xatanil<\/strong> and was part of the Cora of Takurunna<\/strong>, with its capital in Ronda.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

5. \u00abKiss me in this corner\u00bb<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
The corner of Calle Herrer\u00eda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Look for it on Calle Herrer\u00eda.<\/strong> There\u2019s a wall with that phrase painted on it, and it reads the spot where all the couples have their photo taken<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And there is a legend that gives it depth:<\/strong> It is said that Isabel la Cat\u00f3lica gave birth to a boy during the siege<\/strong>, who died a few hours later. His name was Sebasti\u00e1n<\/strong>, and that is why the village\u2019s first church was dedicated to San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/strong>, now the patron saint of Setenil.<\/p>\n\n

6. *Curro Jim\u00e9nez* was filmed here<\/h2>\n

Cabrerizas Street is featured on television.<\/strong> That\u2019s where the episode was filmed \u00abThe Servant of Justice\u00bb<\/strong> from Curro Jim\u00e9nez<\/strong>, the TVE series which was broadcast between 1976 and 1979<\/strong> starring Sancho Gracia, Pepe Sancho and \u00c1lvaro de Luna.<\/p>\n

And that wasn\u2019t the only film shoot:<\/strong> the film \u00abLa Sabina\u00bb, by Jos\u00e9 Luis Borau<\/strong>, used the Jaboner\u00eda Street<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There is no certainty as to the origin of the street\u2019s name: some say there used to be a soap factory there, whilst others say that women used to go down there to wash their clothes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

7. Three routes, one of which leads to a Roman town<\/h2>\n