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Cocentaina area information

Cocentaina information / Alcoy area information / Benilloba area information / Tollos area information / Benimarfull area information / Benifallim are a information / Benilloba area information / planes area information /

Cocentaina tourist area information

Property for sale in Cocentaina

If you stand with your back to the Mediterranean any where on the Costa Blanca, and look inland you will see mountains, some close, some distant. Some residents know what lies beyond, many don’t, and many think there is a primitive world of donkey tracks and rocks. In actual fact it is a very green world with varying types of terrain, modern cities and good roads. Consider Alcoy, 300 years ago, it was a wealthy city of textile manufacturers, while Benidorm was a poor fishing village. Alcoy still is a modern an up to date textile area, the centre of the textile trade for Spain.

For me this is where Spain really starts, as opposed to the cosmopolitan tourist zones of the Costas.

Alcoy, known as the city of bridges, is also a city of contrasts, between the historic and the modern, known internationally as the home of the ‘Moors and Christians Fiesta’. The Plaza España, the historical hub of Alcoy is surrounded by classic architecture, the Parish Church of Santa Maria and Ayuntamiento were designer by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava. There are many walks around the narrow streets of grand old buildings. Details of which can be found in the town hall.A short way along the main N340 is the town of Cocentaina, another urban area built under Moorish influence. The old part is centred around the originally Moorish Palace of the 13th. century which was renovated and extended by Ximén Perez de Corrella in the 1440’s. He was made a Count by king of Aragon Alfonso XIII for his services as a soldier. Adjacent to the Palace is the church of the Clarisas Convent with it’s striking renaissance interior. A walk around the narrow twisting streets of this Medieval quarter is quite fascinating.

A few more kilometers further along the N340 you come to Muro de Alcoy on the southern slopes of the Mariola mountain range situated between the Agres and Serpis rivers. Again of Moorish origin with a medieval quarter. As the rest of the towns in the area it is concerned with the textile trade.

Alqueria de Asnar between Cocentaina and Muro takes it’s name from the Islamic, meaning a place occupied by a clan or family. Asnar was the family name of a Lord who drew up the village charter in 1662 when the Moors were finally expelled. The village is now centred around a paper recycling plant.

Mountains dominate this region, between which there is much agriculture, cherries being an important crop, discovered to be viable not long ago as they are ready approximately two weeks before the rest of the European crops.There are several mountain ranges in this area, the highest of which is the Aitana range with a peak of 1558m.

 Nearby is the Serrella range with it’s unusual pinnacle rock formations. All these mountain zones have now been designated nature reserves.

Dotted around this whole area are small villages all with different characters but all with friendly inhabitants. The highest being Alcolecha , which is closely linked with historically with the neighbouring village of Penáguila, both of which have Moorish and historic buildings.

Its bridges and its position as an industrial pioneer of the Valencian Community are the features that define Alcoy. Even though the Archaeological Museum displays an Iberian figure depicting a spinner, it was in the second half of the 18th century, at the onset of the Industrial Revolution, that the character of Alcoy was set. The town participated in worker emancipation movements such as the Ludite uprising and the anarchist movement during the 19th and 20th centuries, in common with Barcelona. Its well-to-do industrial bourgeoisie enriched the town's appearance with grandiose modernist buildings. The medieval village expanded as a result of the thriving industry and several bridges were built over the rivers that join together in Alcoy, giving rise to the distinctive suburbs of the city. María Cristina is the oldest suburb, and the first encountered when entering Alcoy from Alicante. The Canalejeas viaduct over the Molinar River is a metallic structure that was a real innovation when it was built in 1907. The last bridge to be constructed was inaugurated in 1987 to re-route the traffic from the N-340, which used to pass through the modern district of Alcoy. The Plaza de España was the main historical hub of Alcoy - the Ayuntamiento, the Parish Church of Santa María and a multipurpose hall designed by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava are all located there. Various walks around the city start from this point. One of these walks takes you to the medieval neighbourhood where you can see the old Ayuntamiento - today the Municipal Archaeological Museum - and the Museum of the Fiesta, located nearby. The calle San Nicolás leads into the first of the new extensions to the city and several modernist buildings such as the Círculo Industrial and the Casa del Pavo can be seen here.

Just above these villages is the Aitana Safari Park with lots of space for their collection of wild animals, the most impressive of which I think are the Tigers.

This whole area which welcomes tourism is too large and too busy to be spoiled by it.

Now over 2000 English have settled here and live happily in a normal, peaceful , Spanish environment. 

 

Alcoy/Alcoi area information

One of the biggest Moors and christians celebrations in Spain...televised nationally..

 

Its bridges and its position as an industrial pioneer of the Valencian Community are the features that define Alcoy. Even though the Archaeological Museum displays an Iberian figure depicting a spinner, it was in the second half of the 18th century, at the onset of the Industrial Revolution, that the character of Alcoy was set. The town participated in worker emancipation movements such as the Ludite uprising and the anarchist movement during the 19th and 20th centuries, in common with Barcelona. Its well-to-do industrial bourgeoisie enriched the town's appearance with grandiose modernist buildings. The medieval village expanded as a result of the thriving industry and several bridges were built over the rivers that join together in Alcoy, giving rise to the distinctive suburbs of the city. María Cristina is the oldest suburb, and the first encountered when entering Alcoy from Alicante. The Canalejeas viaduct over the Molinar River is a metallic structure that was a real innovation when it was built in 1907. The last bridge to be constructed was inaugurated in 1987 to re-route the traffic from the N-340, which used to pass through the modern district of Alcoy. The Plaza de España was the main historical hub of Alcoy - the Ayuntamiento, the Parish Church of Santa María and a multipurpose hall designed by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava are all located there. Various walks around the city start from this point. One of these walks takes you to the medieval neighbourhood where you can see the old Ayuntamiento - today the Municipal Archaeological Museum - and the Museum of the Fiesta, located nearby. The calle San Nicolás leads into the first of the new extensions to the city and several modernist buildings such as the Círculo Industrial and the Casa del Pavo can be seen here.  

Population: 60465     Altitude: 562

Location: Capital of the L'Alcoià region. The N-340, the road that links Alcoy with the coast, is the traditional route. At present the best route is on the new A36

Distance from the capital: 54 Kilometers

Access road:
A36 onto N-340 from Alicante which is a dual carriageway and links direct to Alicante in 40 mins.

Gastronomy: Pericana (dish with cod, oil, dry peppers and garlic), Olleta (rice mixed with meat and vegetables), Bajoques Farcides (stuffed peppers), sugared almonds, Brazo Gitano (roll cake), meat pies, Torrat Ensucrat and coffee liqueur are some of the local dishes. Monuments:
Medieval suburb, church of St Mary, St Thomas, St George. Camilo Visedo Moltó municipal archaeological museum and Casal San Jordi. Arts and Crafts: Sugared almonds and textiles.

Picturesque Spots: Font Roja, Mariola Sanitorium, El Raco Sant Bonaventura, Les Canols, gorge del Cint.

Museums: Camilo Visedo Molto Municipal Archaeological Museum with exhibits from Prehistory to the Middle Ages (965 54 03 02). Casal Sant Jordi, the location of the Museum of the Fiesta (965 54 05 80). San Mauro and San Francisco Parish Museum (965 54 39 57).

Festivities: Moors and Christians pageants are held from the 22-24 of April in honour of St George, an event of special interest to foreign tourists. The parade of the Three Kings is held on the 5th of January; a pilgrimage to the Font Roja on the third Sunday of September.

Excursions: Fuente Roja Paraje Natural (interesting landscape). There are recreational areas around the sanctuary in honour of the Virgen de los Lírios. From this point you can climb to the Menejador peak. Another recommended excursion starts from the Preventorio and ascends to the summit of the Sierra Mariola, the 'Montcabrer'.

The Old town        

   Moors and Christians

 

            

Concentaina area information

 

COCENTAINA , is located in the shores of the rio Serpis, This is on the slopes of a Mountain range called Mariola-Pico de Montcabrer: 1390 m. altitude. Head of the region of the Comtat, with 24 municipalities covering 378.9  Km2, and a population of more than 25,000 inhabitants. Distance to Valencia 110 km and 60 km of Alicante. One communicates with these capitals through state highway N340, with daily regular lines to Valencia (train and bus) and to Alicante (bus). Through the new A36 motorway The area has now become very accessible from Alicante. It has a climate of transition between the mediterraneo and the continental one. The greater one indicates of precipitations is registered in the months of September, October and November and in the months of March and April.


Fot the sports minded and for relaxation it has a municipal polideportivo (sports center) with football ground, sport tracks, covered pavilion and swimming pools.
As head of the region the Comtat, it has an ample panel of services of high category, typical market (Thursday), a considerable number of hotels and restaurants with splendid regional dishes and recognized fame. Moorish influences have marked the character and history of Cocentaina. It is the capital of the Comtat region, an agricultural district once scattered with Moorish farmsteads that, after the Reconquest, became Christian and Moorish farms. It took ten years for Jaime I to finally conquer the town; during the course of time the Christian quarter was walled to protect it from the large Moorish population living in the old part of the town, El Raval, located on the slopes of the San Cristóbal Mountain. With the expulsion of the Moors, the capital of the Comtat began to decline. In the Christian quarter, called Vila, a fortified palace was constructed for the first lord of medieval Cocentaina, Roger de Lauria. In 1442, the king of Aragon Alfonso XIII granted the title of Count and Lord of the lands of Cocentaina to the distinguished soldier Ximén Perez de Corella and the town became a Ciutat Comtal (County town). The Corella family renovated and extended the palace and gave it its current appearance. Adjacent is the Clarisas Convent (Franciscan Order of Poor Clares) with an image of the 'Mare de Deu del Miracle', which has been an object of devotion since 1520 when it wept 27 tears in the presence of the faithful. A visit of the town can be started from the Palace, taking note of the typical tile work on the façades of houses lining Calle Mayor, 'els taulellets', and in the Churches of the Salvador (St Saviour's) and Santa María de la Asunción (St Mary of the Assumption), which are all located in the maze of lanes and alleys of the old Moorish Raval quarter. Cocentaina has the best-preserved and admired medieval centre of Alicante's mountain hinterland.

Location: Capital of the Comtat region, it is connected with Valencia and Alicante via the N-340. 60 km from Alicante and 82 km from Benidorm.

Distance from the capital: 62 Kilometers   

Gastronomy: Arrós caldós en conill, mentirons, Pericana (dish with cod, oil, dry peppers and garlic), espencat fassedures coca de dacsa(flat sponge cake), stew, Borreta (stew), mantecat(dairy ice-cream  

Arts and Crafts: The largest and oldest Commercial Fair of the area takes place around the time of 'All Saints' Festival. Iron work, footwear, weapons, Moorish and Christian clothing.

Monuments: County palace, convent of the Clarisas (Order of the Poor Clares), church of St Mary, parish of the Saviour, Franciscan convent and castle. Museums: Ethnological Museum (559 00 00), Fiesta Museum and Municipal archives in the Count's Palace containing valuable medieval scripts of great historical importance.

Festivities: Moors and Christians pageants are held in honour of the Martyr St Hippolytus on the second Sunday of August. An unusual 'Festa dels Nanos' festival is celebrated on the third Sunday of Lent. Widely attended fiestas dedicated to the 'Mare de Déu del Miracle' are celebrated on the 19th of April.

Excursions: San Cristóbal, hermitage of Sta. Bárbara, Font de les Huit Piletes.

Sporting Diary: Walking and bicycle tours.  

Benilloba area information

 

Benilloba, a medium-sized village with wide twisting streets, is involved in the textile industry - a traditional trade in the Alcoià-Comtat area. This industry has enabled the village to remain unaffected by the migration trends that have profoundly changed other small villages in the region and, for this reason, has become one of the most important villages in the area. During the Moorish period the village was a farmstead of which only a few remains have been preserved. The village took part in the battles that took place during the late medieval period between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and halted the progress of the troops of the Castilian king Pedro I, The Cruel. Later on the village belonged to the Counts of Aranda and then the Counts of Revillagigedo, whose palace can still be seen.  

 

Population: 7252                Altitude: 399  

Location: Located on the N-340, which runs from Alicante to Valencia via the inland area. Situated 65 km from Alicante. On the new A36, 40 mins

Distance from the capital: 65 Kilometers

Gastronomy: Els Fontanars (965.33.00.15). Restaurant Casa Victor (966.51.62.95). Casa Calvo (965.3310.90)

Monuments: Church of St John the Baptist, hermitages of the Virgin de los Desamparados and of St Anthony.

Festivities: Major fiestas are held on the second weekend of May in honour of the Virgin of the Defenceless, with Moors and Christians pageants. A popular fair is held on the 17th of January in honour of St Anthony with a widely attended Carnival.

Excursions:
Els Fontanars, Penya del Frare and Turballos.

Tollos area information

 

Tollos is the smallest village of the province with only 42 inhabitants, a consequence of the emigration that entirely modified agricultural villages in the 1960s and 1970s. Located on the sunny side of the Sierra de Alfaro, it served as a refuge for the Moors during the Reconquest; it was also an estate of the Marquises of Guadalest and Ariza. Its main economic activities are the faming of dry crops such as peaches, almonds and olives.   Population: 42 Altitude: 773

Location: Located in the valley of the Seta River on the southern side of the Sierra Alfaro. It is fairly difficult to reach the locality; the best option is to take the road from Cocentaina to Millena and Gorga. There is also a road from Vall de Gallinera and Vall d'Alcalá. 84 km from Alicante. Once there it is tranquility itself, and now has picnic and BBQ area and community swimming pool. Small village has restaurantn and bvar and a daily delivery of all homegrown produce.

Distance from the capital: 84 Kilometers

Gastronomy: Olleta, Pilota de dacsa, Minxos (pizza-like base with fish and vegetables), stews and homemade sausages.

Monuments: Parish church with bell tower

Festivities: Fiestas dedicated to St Anthony de Padua and to the Mare de Deu del Rosari are held during the last weekend of July.

Excursions: There are excursions to the Sierra Alfaro and the Vall de Alcalá. The best-known trail is the one from the Barranc del Malafi, to Petracos (15 km). 

Benimarfull area information

 

Passing by small villages of white houses surrounded by terraces and almond trees, the road from Cocentaina to Pego traverses the interior of the province, a narrow winding route that continually rises and drops. Benimarfull is a good place to stop - to eat, to explore its steep streets, and to visit the 16th century ochre and white Church with its elegant bell tower built in three sections. A typically agricultural village (407 inhabitants), Benimarfull grows cherries and almonds.     Population: 408 Altitude: 416 Location:
The road from Muro to Pego passes through Benimarfull, which is part of the Valle del Travadell. Located 70 km from Alicante and 109 km from Benidorm. Distance from the capital:
70 Kilometers Gastronomy:
Paella valenciana, Cullera biscuits. Monuments:
Church of St Anne (16th century), 18th century spa building. Museums:
The Church houses the Parish Museum. Festivities:
Major celebrations are held from the 24-26 of July in honour of Saint James, St Anne and the Blessed Christ, with Moors and Christians pageants and a solemn procession in honour of Christ. Excursions:
Spring of L'Albacar Hill and Barranco del Sobre (sulphur), which can be reached on the Benimarfull to Planes road at the 12 km marker point. 
Benifallim area information
 

A typical mountain village with small one-storey houses, and cobbled streets with plant pots in the ironwork grilles. Twisty roads and a wild landscape full of pine, almond and fruit trees surround the village. Seen from a distance it appears to be a typical village clinging to the side of the mountain, topped by a Moorish castle. Benifallim and its castle originate from the Moorish era. King Jaime I, the Conquistador, seized the castle and gave it to a noble Castelló family, who subsequently transferred it to the Counts of Rotova. The expulsion of the Moors in 1609 had a profound effect as it was, and still is, a typical farming village.  

Population: 148 Altitude: 734

 Location: Situated on the slopes of the Sierra del Rontonar in the western section of the Sierra Aitana. The best way to reach it is to take N-340 and 6 km from Alcoy, at the level of the Venta Sant Jordi, there is a turnoff to Benifallim and Penáguila. 52 km from Alicante and 88 km from Benidorm.

Distance from the capital: 40 Kilometers

Gastronomy: Paella, Roast meats

Monuments: Montortal palace, currently the Ayuntamiento (town hall).

Festivities: Major celebrations are held at the end of September in honour of St Michael. Pá Beneït (blessed bread) occurs on the first Sunday in September. Excursions: The Sierra del Rontonar, with its Kermes Oak trees and a snow well, is a good place for a walk.

Benilloba area information 

 

Benilloba, a medium-sized village with wide twisting streets, is involved in the textile industry - a traditional trade in the Alcoià-Comtat area. This industry has enabled the village to remain unaffected by the migration trends that have profoundly changed other small villages in the region and, for this reason, has become one of the most important villages in the area. During the Moorish period the village was a farmstead of which only a few remains have been preserved. The village took part in the battles that took place during the late medieval period between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and halted the progress of the troops of the Castilian king Pedro I, The Cruel. Later on the village belonged to the Counts of Aranda and then the Counts of Revillagigedo, whose palace can still be seen.  

Population: 933 Altitude: 520

Location: On the road from Alcoy to Callosa d'En Sarrià, 10 km from Alcoy. It is located next to the Frainos River, between the Serreta de Alcoy and the Sierra Serrella. Situated 64 km from Alicante and 53 from Benidorm.

Distance from the capital: 64 Kilometers

Gastronomy: Olleta alcoyana and Pericana (dish with cod, oil, dry peppers and garlic) are some of the local dishes.

Monuments: Seventeenth-century church and 18th-century Palace of the Count of Revillagigedo.

Festivities: Fiestas dedicated to St Joaquín are celebrated in mid August, with the famous 'Nit de L'Olla'. Public dances for unmarried people are held in September.

Excursions: Parajes del Salt, along the watercourse of the Frainos River - with the remains of a Moorish aqueduct. Remains of a Moorish arch in the Cuixot gorge.

Planes area information

 

Its castle and the slender tower of the Church of the Assumption mark the appearance of Planes, known as the cherry capital. Plane's name is quite deceptive as the village rises over the slope of a small hill covered with a jumble of white houses crisscrossed by steep and narrow small streets, providing one of the best examples of a medieval town in the Alicante area. The town has a colourful history - it was conquered by Jaime I, besieged by Al-Azraq and was turned into barracks for troops who fought against the 1609 Moorish rebellion. The main economic activity of the town is the production of high quality cherries, which is part of the' Denominación de Origen' label granted by the Generalitat.

Population: 815     Altitude: 472  

Location: This locality is reached via Muro and Benimarfull. 15 km from Cocentaina and 75 from Alicante. Three tiny villages depend upon Planes: Margarida, Benialfaquí and Catamarruch.

Distance from the capital: 75 Kilometers

Gastronomy: Paella valenciana and rabbit with garlic.

Monuments: Moorish castle and 15th-century aqueduct. 18th-century church built on the earlier mosque. The foundations of the ayuntamiento (town hall) were formerly an ancient dungeon. Hermitage and Calvary.

Festivities: Celebrations dedicated to St Anne are held in the final week of August with a week of cultural events, religious ceremonies, dances, Valencian pelota and open-air celebrations.

Excursions: The one in the Barranc de L'Encatá is the best.

Sporting Diary: Trout fishing in the Barranc de L'Encatá. 

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