This Coastal Spanish City's Shopping District Is Shaded By An Incredible Colorful Canopy Handmade By Artists

Spain's summer can be intensely hot, especially on the southern, sun-soaked Costa del Sol, where beach bums find pure bliss on Spain's Mediterranean shores. Knowing where and when to seek shade is key. If you're heading to Spain this summer, plan ahead to escape the crowds and heat in this record-breaking travel season.

One shopping street just outside the city of Malaga on Spain's southern coast has come up with an innovative solution: A colorful awning of recycled materials crocheted entirely by hand. This amazing creation is the work of local artist Eva Pacheco and her workshop for resident knitters. What started as a simple way to make use of recycled materials has become a social media sensation with hundreds of thousands of views, drawing visitors to the hillside town of Alhaurín de la Torre. It's a short drive or bus ride of about 30 minutes outside of Malaga. Combined with hiking in the area, it can make for a good day trip from the city.

This project started as a small gathering to socialize and keep busy at the local Senior Citizens' Social Center. Every Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., anyone interested in knitting and crocheting brought scraps of leftover thread and yarn, along with wires and plastic thread. Then, Eva Pacheco got to work helping the local residents to twist, loop, and knot the giant screen that would be used to shade Malaga Street (the main shopping street of Alhaurín de la Torre) during the hot summer months.

The project started in 2019 with about 40 elderly women. The goal was an awning of about 500 square feet. Since then, the project has grown to almost 13,000 square feet and includes new designs. In 2024, the faces of Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin were woven into the canopy. The workshop has also experimented with crocheted umbrellas that cast snowflake-like shadows in the sun.  

The project has been a social and environmental success, dropping the temperature on Malaga Street by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. The canopy is also reusable. Every year, it's taken down in the fall, washed, and reinstalled the next summer. It has won numerous awards and even inspired an American version in the sister city of New Iberia, Louisiana.

Alhaurín de la Torre is a hidden gem where locals go for a weekend escape, providing an easy nature getaway from Malaga's city streets and buzzing beaches. Situated between the mountains and the sea, hiking here affords views of the Sierra de Mijas and the Mediterranean, with occasional deer sightings. The town also has one of the longest ziplines in Spain at Sunview Park. It soars over the hills for almost 4,500 feet, zipping riders at a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour.  

Alhaurín de la Torre is quintessentially Spanish and easy to navigate in half a day. Blogger Krista the Explorer writes, "It's a charming small town to visit if you're looking for somewhere off the beaten path near Malaga." If you want to end your day with a dip in the sea, Torremolinos, Spain's sun-soaked city with some of the country's best beaches, is less than 20 minutes away by car. It's also possible to hike there.  Alternatively, you can continue inland and explore the most beautiful white hills towns that Rick Steves says are "steeped in the soul of Spain."