Private Day Trip From Cádiz: The White Towns Of Andalusia

The White Towns of Andalusia are a series of towns in southern Spain, mostly within Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. All of the villages are characterized by whitewashed walls and red or brown tiled roofs.
Some say that these villages paint the white houses (pueblos blancos) white to ward off the intense summer heat that affects mainly the towns along the Sierra de Grazalema. Whitewashed houses are an ancient custom in the Mediterranean. The darkest houses and those with bad circulation had to be whitewashed by painters who had survived the bubonic plague. The lime mixed with water produces a high heat that can kill any microorganism. Therefore, people living in cities with houses “whitewashed” ended up escaping more disease than those who did not.
Today times have changed, but the tradition is still alive with houses being re-painted (whitewashed) after a period of time. Some Pueblos Blancos can be painted without having to pay taxes.