Look for a garden filled with lush greenery, lots of palm trees, and a huge, funny-looking tree with a chubby, bottle-shaped trunk standing near sunlit paths and red benches.
Welcome to Alfonso Canales Gardens! Don’t worry, you haven’t wandered into the Amazon-though this park might fool you with that giant barrel-shaped tree right in front of you. That’s the Chorisia insignis, also known here as the “Palo Borracho” or “drunken stick.” With a trunk like a pirate who’s had too much rum, it actually hails from far-off lands like Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Legend has it that a sailor, maybe longing for home or just looking to show off something exotic, brought this beast of a tree right into Málaga’s port, just a stone’s throw away from where you’re standing.
But the park isn’t just about unusual trees. Breathe in the zesty fragrance of bitter orange trees, while palms and blooming oleanders lean lazily over the pathways. At the center, water dances in a fountain, and standing with a wise look, there’s a bust of the poet Alfonso Canales, made by sculptor Jaime Fernández Pimentel. He watches over the gardens that carry his name, making sure all poetry-loving squirrels behave. Imagine the bustling sailors and curious travelers who brought back seeds and stories, eager to see their discoveries take root right here-proving that even the strangest trees can find a home in Málaga’s heart.
