YOU don’t expect to find palm trees, colourful colonial mansions and a slice of Cuba in the middle of rural Asturias.
But that’s exactly what awaits in Malleza.
Home to fewer than 200 people, the tiny village has earned the nickname Little Havana thanks to an unlikely connection stretching back more than 100 years.
Walk through its quiet streets today and you’ll find pastel-coloured villas, elegant balconies and tropical gardens that look completely different from the stone houses usually associated with northern Spain.
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So how did it happen? The answer lies with the indianos.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of Spaniards left for the Americas in search of work.
Cuba became one of the most popular destinations for emigrants from Asturias, and many eventually returned home after making their fortunes overseas.
When they came back, they didn’t build traditional Asturian homes.
Instead, they recreated a little of the life they had left behind.
Large colonial-style mansions appeared across Malleza, painted in bright colours and surrounded by palm trees and exotic plants brought back from the Caribbean.
More than a century later, they’re still the first thing visitors notice.
Some of the grandest houses, including Villa Alicia, Casa Panchón and the Palacio del Conde de Toreno, remain standing today. While several are still private homes, others have become rural accommodation or restaurants.
One of them now houses Al Son del Indiano, a restaurant operating from a building that has welcomed visitors since the late 19th century.
Despite its unusual appearance, Malleza has avoided the crowds that have transformed many of Spain’s prettiest villages.
It remains a quiet place where locals still outnumber visitors, making it feel less like a tourist attraction and more like a village with an extraordinary past.
That past is surprisingly easy to discover. Malleza is in the municipality of Salas, in western Asturias, around an hour’s drive from Oviedo and just 20 minutes from the town of Salas.
For anyone travelling through this quieter corner of northern Spain, Little Havana is a detour well worth taking.
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