Nestling at the foot of a rocky outcrop, is the small whitewashed village of Velez Blanco, 6km north of its neighbour, Velez Rubio.

On top of the hill is a stunning Renaissance castle an extension of the original Moorish alcazaba, which was built by the Marquises of Velez Blanco in the early 16th century. These days, it is something of a trompe l'oeil, with an empty shell behind the battlements. This gutting began in 1904 when the contents of the castle were sold by its owners, the Dukes of Medina-Sidonia, to a French dealer in antiquities. Many of them became the property of Emile Peyre who in turn bequeathed part of his collection to the American millionaire George Blumenthal. He then bequeathed it the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1941. This included the Patio de Honor - a fabulous courtyard carved in white marble by Italian craftsmen. It has since been reconstructed inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There are now plans to carry out a complete reconstruction of the original using marble from the nearby quarries of Macael.

To the north of the town are the UNESCO World Heritage listed pre-historic caves and paintings La Cueva del Gabar and Cueva de Los Letreros (Leters Cave) north of Velez Rubio.

Also worth seeing is the 16th century Convento de San Luís, located at the opposite end of town and also built by the Velez family, although its fine chapel was damaged during the Civil War.

The Almacen del Trigo information office has information on the town and the surrounding Parque Natural de la Sierra de Maria.

The small agricultural town of Velez Rubio is in a picturesque setting, surrounded by sierras, olive groves and fields of wheat.

The tourist office is located in the local museum on Calle Carrera del Carmen 29 and open from Monday-Friday 10am-2pm & 5-8pm, tel 950 41 01 48.

The museum is situated within a beautiful 18th century hospital 'Hospital Real' and has a fascinating exhibit of artefacts and ceramics dating from prehistoric to Moorish times, including a section on the ancient cave paintings in this area.

However, the main monument of note in the town is the magnificent Baroque Church of La Encarnación which can be found on the Plaza of the same name. Built in the 18th century, this has an imposing carved facade which includes the arms of the Marquises of Velez.

The prehistoric cave paintings of the Cueva de los Letreros are spectacular, they can be found 3km out of the town of Velez Rubio. To get to the caves follow the A317 north until you reach a petrol station on the left, next to which is a signed turning to the cave.

You will first however need to obtain the key to gain entry to the site. To do this go to the Almacen del Trigo information office in Vélez Blanco at the far end of the town where, in return for depositing your passport, you will be given the key.

To reach the caves, follow the path which starts from behind the petrol station as it veers left before ascending steeply to a stairway which climbs halfway up a cliff to the fenced off rock shelter. This is a good kilometre's walk. Once through the gate of the compound, you will be able to see surprisingly fresh looking red and brown sketches of human figures, birds, animals, astronomical signs and 'indalos' which have been dated to around 4000 BC and are amongst the oldest representations of people and animals in the world.

Inside, the main altar has a superbly detailed, 20-metre-high carved wood retablo.

Even more impressive than the nearby Cueva de los Letreros are the paintings at La Cueva del Gabar, to the north of Velez Blanco.

They are in a still better state of preservation, but you may only visit them with a guide. However, if you're interested, the tourist information office at Vélez Rubio, or the town hall at Vélez Blanco can advise on a guide who will provide you with a rope and ladder to get you up the sheer rock face; which is one of the reasons of course, why they have survived more or less intact.

Designated a natural park in 1987, the Sierra Maria-Los Velez occupies the eastern end of the Cordillera Subbética in the north of Almeria province. It covers 22,670ha, a landscape of impressive contrasts, with its arid, moon-like plains overlooked by the Sierra's rocky summits, which are white with snow in winter, and the dry, barren south-facing slopes compared to its densely wooded north-facing ones. Its climate too is characterised by great extremes, with temperatures plunging as low as -18C in winter and rising to 39C in summer. The park's altitude ranges from 800m to the highest peak of María, a barren limestone outcrop of 2,045m.

Unusually for the otherwise arid and barren mountain ranges in Almeria, the Sierra is clothed in extensive pine forests and Mediterranean woodland, some of the best preserved in the province. It supports a varied flora with nearly half of all plant species in Almeria province found here, including some unique to the Sierra.

Similarly diverse is the park's fauna, with over 100 bird species, including 17 species of birds of prey; in 2002 it was declared a special protection zone for birds. Its butterfly population is also outstanding and includes a subspecies of the butterfly parnassius apollo, which can only be found in this Sierra, and the pseudochazara hipolyte, endemic to southeast Spain. The spur-thighed tortoise that inhabits this Sierra is in danger of extinction and there is a breeding centre for these tortoises in the north of the park at Las Alnohallas.

Housed in a former wheat storehouse, the Almacén del Trigo visitors' centre is in Avenida Marques de los Vélez, in Velez Blanco, 950 415 354. It's open 10am-2pm Thursday to Sunday and public holidays. From Friday to Sunday and public holidays it also opens in the afternoons: 6pm-8pm April to September and 4pm-6pm October to March. In August it opens daily, 10am-2pm and 6pm-8pm. As well as information on marked footpaths and accommodation, it has models of the Cueva de los Letreros and the castle in Velez Blanco, as well as a watermill and prehistoric archaelogical artefacts.

A second visitors' centre is at the Mirador de la Umbria de Maria, with magnificent views of the Sierra de María, 950 527 005. Take the A317 towards Orce and 2km out of Maria there is a right-hand turn off the main road. The centre is 700m along this track. It's open all year round, from Friday to Sunday and public holidays, 10am-2pm and 4pm-6pm October to March (6pm-8pm April to September).