SANTA MARIA DE GUIA

Usually known simply as Guia, this town is situated 3km east of its neighbor and friendly rival, Galdar. As in Galdar, it pays to leave the main road and enter the old quarter, climbing briefly if steeply up narrow but stately streets (start where the road makes an awkward bend). The Las Palmas to Gaida highway bypasses Guia and has restored the town to its early serenity.

Among the early settlers of Guia were Genoese bankers and merchants, so the town has the benefit of some fine architecture, such as the 16^th century Casa Quintana. As usual, the centerpiece is an old-fashioned main square with trees and a church (Santa Maria) in stern volcanic grey and white In this case, however, with a floridly neo-classical facade designed by Jose Lujan Perez, Canarian sculptor architect and native son of Guia. Begun in 1607, and mixing baroque with neo-classical, the interior of Santa Maria is colonial in feeling. The elegant town hall, in Canarian style, is also in the square. Guia is well known for craft basketwork, carved handled knives but its most famous product is queso de fIor ('flower cheese')made of goat's milk flavored with artichoke flowers. This is a great barn of a shop, with cheeses laid out on bamboo mats, old photos of cheeses and cheese makers, and wine bottles stacked all the way up the walls. There is no question of buying anything without first tasting it.