Sierra de Mariola Natural Parkkland

There is a strong environmental movement making its name in Spain. Thanks to pressure more than 16,000 people were able to visit this area during the first half of 2007. This number is an indication of the growing interest that people in the Valencian Communidad have in our natural habitat.   This mountain range (sierra is a saw in Spanish and usually denotes a range of hills that appear like a saw edge) is perfectly suitable for hiking, horse riding and just sight-seeing. One of the most famous sites is the "neveras" which were deep holes used for packing ice in the winter and then sold on the coast as lumps of ice to keep produce fresh. It was later used to produce the first of the area's famous ice cream factories.

At one time the natural vultures of the area were in danger of extinction but a group of environmentalists based in Alcoi built a sanctuary and now there are at least sixty pairs of vultures in the centre and gradually being released to breed in the wild. This centre is visited by schoolchildren as part of their natural studies. There are two centres from which to start exploring the hills.   - the Font del Tarragó in Alfafara, and La Querola in the Muro d'Alcoi. Please ensure that you are well aware of the danger of forest fires in this pine forest and respect the animal and fauna.

Nearby is Bocairent famous for the nearby 53 caves in the limestone cliffs, and known as the Arab Caves, and also the oldest bullring in the Valencian Region.

A larger town, Otinyent has some narrow and charming streets in the barrio de la Vila and there are several historic remains of the town's wall and watchtowers.

MUSEUMS

TORREVIEJA

Museo del Mar Y de la Sal

C/ Patricio Perez 10 - Tel. 96 670 68 38

This museum is in a temporary site and will eventually be moved to the Eras de la Sal. It has artefacts from Roman times and portrays some of the history of Torrevieja's long and unique relationship with the sea and the salt lakes. A sailing ship "Pascual Flores" is being repaired and will form an important floating exhibit of the museum. This boat was built in Torrevieja when the town was renowned for its ship building abilities. In its early days, the Pascual Flores was used for shipping salt from the lakes and moored to the wooden quayside is an example of the small boats that were loaded and used to ferry salt to the larger ships.   There is a real live submarine the "Delfin" (Dolphin" and a recent acquisition is a coastguard cutter "Albatross III", both of which can be boarded and inspected.

Museo de la Semana Santa,

C/ Formentera, Urb. Primavera

(Behind Los Arcos Restuarante) Tel. 96 670 68 38

Each Holy Week annual processions take place with some two thousand people dressed in colourful robes with hoods. They are formed into groups known as cofradias, each cofradia with its own distinctive colours and each devoted to some aspect of Christ's last hours of life. In these nightly processions statues representing some aspect of Christ's final sufferings are carried. Many of these are displayed all year round in the Semana Santa Museum. Others are kept in the la Inmaculada Church in the town square. Sometime over the next few years another Semana Santa Museum is to be built.

Museo Ricardo Lafuente is now located at the former railway station. This museum is dedicated to the musical tradition of Torrevieja and also to a composer who has developed this musical heritage in the town.

Torrevieja has a strong traditional of music based on music and songs taken from Cuba where Torrevieja sailors sailed carrying salt and other merchandise to the Caribbean and Latin America. The sailors brought back the songs and taught them to their families. In doing so they also made up their own expressing their longing to return to their families and their love for their native land and town. From these beginnings the annual Habaneras Certamen has grown up: this is an international choir competition that uses polyphonic, music particularly that known as habaneras. These concerts are usually held at the end of July. One of the instigators of these annual events is local composer and musician Ricardo Lafuente, who has written many pieces of music including the recognised hymn of Torrevieja. Many of his books and music has been donated to this museum. Several musical groups rehearse here at nights.

Christmas Crib Museum: Each year Torrevieja's main plaza has a wonderful nativity scene made by the artists of the private Belen Museum located on the corner of calle Orihuela and Avenida Diego Ramirez.

ALMORADI

Market Garden and Ethnological Museum. Tel. 96 570 03 26.

Almoradi is a town with a strong relationship to agriculture and in this museum one can see many of the implements used in harvesting the earth.

CREVILLENTE

Municipal Archaeological Museum. Tel. 96 668 14 78

This is a large industrialised town famous for its carpet industry. Most of the Moroccans who sell carpets in the markets and promenades buy them direct from the factories of Crevillente. The city goes back a long way in history and over recent years many discoveries relating to early Iberian and Roman settlers are displayed in this museum.

Monographic Museum of Mariano Benlliure Tel. 96 540 02 23

This is a private collection and one has to phone to arrange a viewing.

ELCHE

The city of Elche has a long history and is an important place for visitors to discover. There are several historical buildings and museums as well as gardens full of various palm trees.

Municipal Archaeology Museum Tel. 96 545 36 03.

The collection here goes back to pre-Iberian history and there is a copy of the famous Iberian bust of the Dama de Elche, which is now in the national museum of Madrid.   Elche was a Roman city and there are many artefacts of the Roman period.

La Alcudia Museum Tel 96 661 15 06.

Associated with the Dama de Elche statue is the museum that now graces the place where the statue was first uncovered and is now a recognised archaeological site as well as a very modern museum. This is on the outskirts of the city and well worth more than a casual visit.

Agricultural School Museum of Pozol. Tel 96 663 04 78.

Around Elche there is a thriving agricultural community and there are a few schools dedicated to training farmers and other agricultural specialists. At this school there is also an agricultural museum displaying some of the tools past and present used in farming the area. Palm trees are an important heritage of Elche and there are a couple of gardens to visit.

One is the Huerta del Cura that is a living museum of various types of palm trees and there is an entrance fee. The other main garden is the Municipal Park overlooking the river. Recently the inheritance of Elche's palm forests has been recognised by the United Nations as of interest and importance to the world.

Festival Museum Tel. 96 545 34 64

Elche has a long history and as such a long history of fiestas. Among them are Moors & Christians, the medieval mystery play of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, the Early Settlers Festival. These fiestas are at set times during the year but it is possible to breathe a part of their atmosphere at this museum.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tel. 96 545 49 82

Another museum to visit while in Elche is this one which has a good selection of works by modern artists who make use of the wonderful Mediterranean light to put their ideas and vision onto canvas.

SANTA POLA

Sea Museum Tel. 96 669 15 32

Nearby Santa Pola has been the main port for the city of Elche since before the days of the Romans. This has always been a port and during the Roman era, this was an important place for salting fish and making garum. It is famous for its fishing fleet and this long association with the sea is well displayed in this museum. In Santa Pola there is also an Aquarium that further shows this dependence on the sea through the selection of fish one can see in the tanks.

GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA

Municipal Ethnological and Archaeological Museum
Tel. 96 572 86 10

Guardamar is the site of many Mediterranean civilisations and some of the remains of these can be seen in this museum. Among there are interesting pieces from Roman and Arab times. The original town was built around the castle but after a disastrous earthquake in 1829 moved nearer the sea. The people were then faced with another impending disaster as the sea was encroaching on the land threatening the town with sand dunes. To overcome this a forest of pine trees was planted and this has become an important part of the heritage of the town. In this pine forest there is the museum and nearby an archaeological site of an early Arab settlement.

ORIHUELA

Semana Santa Museum Tel 96 674 40 89

Orihuela is a city absolutely full of old churches, museums and fine buildings. Among them is this one dedicated to the city's famous Holy Week processions. There is work underway to extend the museum to 1.150 metres and once completed will be the largest such museum in Europe, if not the world. Here one can see the massive statues and 22 thrones carried in the annual processions by cofradias. These are works of art many of them by the famous Salzillo. Some of the 'thrones' on which they are carried are exhibited here and these are works of art in themselves. The city has a long history of Semana Santa processions that bring alive the Passion of Christ through these images and the annual involvement by thousands of citizens.

Miguel Hernández Museum Tel. 96 530 63 27.

This museum is quite small as it is the house where this famous poet lived in Orihuela. He was one of the many victims of the Spanish Civil War and he has a large following of admirers who meet annually in March to hold a two-day walk around the towns related to the poet. Most towns in the area have a street or a square dedicated to this writer.

Archaeological Museum Tel. 96 674 31 54

Orihuela is a very old city with a long history and much of it can be seen in this museum through the many pieces of Iberian, Roman, Arab and later civilisations offered to the visitor.

Reconquest Museum Tel. 96 530 27 47

Each summer thousands of the people of Orihuela take to the streets dressed as Moors and Christians in the annual colourful and noisy parades. The city was under the control of Moors for a long time before being part of the reconquest of the Christian Kings, notably Jaime I. This museum outlines some of that part of the history of Orihuela. The building has recently been renovated.

Diocesan Museum of Holy Art Tel. 96 530 06 38

As a city Orihuela has a fine cathedral worthy of a visit. It also has this museum dedicated to works of art related to Christianity and the visitor can see many fine paintings and sculptures by famous artists.

The city is full of old churches which are full of lovely images and paintings by famous artists.

PILAR DE LA HORADADA

Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Tel. 96 535 11 24

Of itself Pilar de la Horadada is a fairly new town in that it came under the civil and religious jurisdiction of Orihuela until recently. But it is a very progressive town that has not forgotten its roots and these can be seen in this museum as every effort is made to keep alive old traditions of a farming community with a link to the sea.

ROJALES

Municipal Museum Tel. 96 671 50 01

Rojales is another farming community that depended largely on the waters of the Rio Segura. With the nearby urbanisation of Ciudad Quesada threatening to overshadow the old town, strong efforts are being made to recover some of the historical aspects of the citizens of Rojales. In this museum one can see some of the tools used by the agricultural community, remains of some of the inheritance left by the Moors and see something of the colourful glamour associated with the Moors & Christian fiestas held at the end of June.

SAN FULGENCIO

Archaeological Museum   Tel. 96 679 4020

This town is an old farming community and the roots of the town can be seen in this museum. Like Rojales the actual town is in danger of being swamped by the urbanisation of la Marina that is in its municipal boundaries.

ALICANTE

Fundación MARQ´ Plaza Dr. Gómez Ulla.

Provincial Archaeological Museum with modern audiovisual effects in theme rooms from pre-historic to modern with Iberian, Roman and Middle Ages cultures.

Museo de la Asegurada, Plaza de Santa Maria, 3.

Collection of 20th century art with works by Picasso, Dali, Miró, Chagall, Gargallo, Juan Gris, Julio González, Bacon, Giacometti, Adami among others.

There are Exhibitions in the Santa Barbara Castle.

The castle dates back to the Middle Ages with alterations in the fortifications up to the 18th century. Access by road, or there is a lift from the beach area - accredited pensioners go free.

Pozos de Garrigós, Plaza del Puente.

Here there are ancient wells and an exhibition about water and ceramics.

Museo de Belén. Calle San Agustin 3.

Alicante Province has a strong tradition of making Christmas cribs (belens) and here one can see examples from all over the world.

Sala Municipal de Exposiciones 'Lonja del Pescado' Avda. Almirante Julio Guillén Tato.

This is a converted fish auction hall that always has various art exhibitions.

VALENCIA

Valencia is an ancient city and has many museums with interesting exhibits.