a vision in white; Spain's pueblos blancos offer charming cobbled streets, wonderful vistas, authentic cuisine, and private villas.

Byline: Richard Alleman

Mention Andalusia and most travelers think of Granada, Cordoba, and Seville-or perhaps the well-trafficked Costa del Sol. But there is also another Andalusia-a secret, unspoiled world of stony mountains, giant fir forests, and orange, olive, and almond groves punctuated by enchanting, often hidden, hill towns with pretty plazas and narrow cobbled streets of whitewashed houses. Today, most of these pueblos blancos ("white villages") still lie in glorious seclusion.

But the area has begun attracting sophisticated travelers, especially in the Lecrin Valley, south of Granada, and around the town of Gaucin, south of Ronda and west of Malaga and Marbella. Now, some of the best restored town houses and rural fincas are available for rental.

"I had never heard of the Lecrin Valley," says Maxine Harrison, founder of Elysian Holidays, a British villa-rental firm. "But eight years ago, a gentleman e-mailed me about letting his house in the town of Chite." Although getting there involved a long back-road trek, Chite delighted Harrison, as did the neighboring white villages. Added attractions of the valley were its walking trails, stables, and plentiful lakes and rivers for swimming, kayaking, and rafting. "It's real Spain," she says.

What the valley didn't have was hotels-so Harrison started representing the area's handful of villas. "It's all developing very slowly, very gently," she says of the valley's rising profile. "This is not a place where foreigners have been able to move in and buy everything up, because most of the local families have lived here for centuries, and they are not interested in making a fast buck and then moving on." Also, strict development regulations means it's unlikely to be ruined.

A typical Lecrin Valley pueblo blanco is Pinos del Valle, which sits on a pine-forested hillside above Lake Beznar-a lovely local spot for swimming and picnics. Here there is just the village church, a small plaza, and a few cafes. Thus the stylishness of Casa de los Espada may come as a surprise. Like many pueblo blanco homes, this six-bedroom beauty in the center of the

village has a smart Moorish-