Spain

Shireen Khalil

The English idiom “living under arock” is not figurative （比喻的） but quiteliteral for over 3000 inhabitants of Setenilde las Bodegas， Spain where houses arebuilt into the rock. Cave walls serve asroofs and walls of certain houses in theSpanish town.

This is an actual town in Spain， builtamong rock outcrops and formations （巖石露头和岩层之间）. The town is situatedalong a narrow river gorge （峡谷）， withsome houses being built into the rock wallsof the river gorge. The town was built bytaking advantage of the natural erosion ofthe rock walls caused by the nearby riverand other factors.

The houses have been built by enlargingnatural caves found in the gorgeand simply adding a few extra walls. Therock walls and caves were particularlyenticing for early settlers who did not haveto build four walls and a roof to construct ahouse. Nature provided them with walls  and in some cases even a roof. The rockcovering extends on to the streets of thetown， providing a natural shade for peoplewalking on them.

The rocks not only serve as roofs andwalls， but they also help in controlling thetemperature of the houses. Setenil de lasBodegas suffers from very high temperaturesduring summer. The rock walls helptake the edge off it during this time.

Aside from houses， there are cafesand restaurants which are also built intothe rock walls. Tourists to the town canenjoy their food in the comfortable shadeof giant rocks.

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Do you know anything about the townin Spain？ Please share its features exceptwhat is mentioned in the text with yourclassmates.

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