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This month:- Arafo There
are many beautiful and interesting villages and towns on Tenerife
worth mentioning for a variety of different reasons, but one
town which may often get overlooked is Arafo. Situated in the South East of Tenerife, only 35 minutes from each of Tenerife´s two airports and only 25 minutes from Santa Cruz, this stunning place is where you should head for a taste of authentic Spain in majestic surroundings. Much
of the borough, particularly higher up, is classed as National
Park and is perfect for hikers. There are plenty of walks through
the valleys and barrancos alongside the tight belts of vineyards
and orchards. The natural beauty of the lava rivers that never
quite made it to the sea and the ravines surrounding the town,
such as the Añavingo ravine (important because of its
outstanding endemic species) make the views spectacular. The town itself is attractive enough to warrant any visit. In a particullarly excellent example of town planning, the peculiar layout and striking cleanliness and orderlyness of the buildings, streets and squares lead you straight to the town centre every time. Arafo is well renowned for its love of music and all things musical. The town centre reflects this with a large gazeebo and an interesting statue of a naked lady dancing with a long string of musical notes. This
is a town of history too. Arafo appears with this name in the
first ever records of Tenerife at the beginning of the 16th
Century, but before the Spanish conquest this town was a very
important Guanche area and the name Arafo lives on from them.
There have been many burial caves discovered among the precipices
and summits of the mountains guarding the horizon. Colonists settled all over the area right from the start. The growth of Arafo was never large or fast because of its distance from the sea, but the people lived well from farming many different crops and it´s 5,000 inhabitants still mainly live off agriculture and, due to the ravines that run down from Teide, now also produce their own natural water.
One
of the towns most striking visiting points is the Parish Church
of San Juan Degollado. The original church was built in 1673
and was devoted to San Juan Bautista but changed to Degollado
(cut throat) to distingish it from the one in Güimar. The
Church was gradually expanded and contains some interesting
works of art inside including the figure of San Juan. Arafo
is a beautiful, calm, historic town and well worth a visit.
It has some authentic Spanish tavernas and the towns passion
for music means you are likely to get involved in an impromptu
sing-along at some point. Don´t forget to take advantage of Arafos fame for its local wines and desserts, make any day a festival.
Over
to coming months, we will be building up a picture of Tenerife
so why not visit other areas?
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Arafo
became a borough in 1812 and was granted the title of town in
1983, the first to be awarded this distinction under the Canary
Island Regional Government. 
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