FINESTRAT

But it is not only its climate, its situation or its landscapes that make Finestrat a desirable place. There is also its peculiar character as a village, an old muslim farmstead, wich has been preserved without great changes, including it physical structure. The quiet village gives the impression that everyone´s taking a nap or watching TV or playing online games at Casino.com inside their homes. To live in Finestrat is to be part of a quiet, no too busy community, where the appeal of first-rate tourist centres is very close by. Only fifteen minutes on a good road and you can be in the middle of the tourist and city hustle and bustle of Benidorm, or the calmer but always lively lifestyle of Villajollosa or Altea.

In Finestrat you can practise many sports, ranging from sea sports to mountain sports. There is a sports centre, a swimming pool, a pelota court and a multipurpose track/court.

In Finestrat you can taste international cuisine, as well as mediterranean cuisine and the most typical local dishes, such as “l’arròs amb fessols” (rice with beans), “les tarongetes”, “la coca” (a kind of cake), an a great variety of sweet things, such “l’arrop i talladetes” (pumpkin slices cooked in very thick sugar syrup).

Patron saint festivities are celebrated in honour of “Sant Bertomeu” (Saint Bartholomew) and of “Santissim Crist del Remei” (Most Holy Christ of Remedy) from August 20th to 24th “Sant Antoni”, January 17th; “San Blai”, February 3rd; “L’Ereta” and the Holy Week.

CALLOSA D´EN SARRIA

However, one of the main attractions of Callosa is without doubt the rich landscape surrounding the Algar waterfalls (Fuentes del Algar) wich, because of their natural beauty, have been named “Font de Fonts” (The First among Waterfalls). The many falls and springs form a beautifull tapestry of waterfalls and still pools where the sparkling water running amidst the fertile vegetation creates a setting of exceptional beauty.

Round El Algar, there are select “merenderos” and restaurants where the visitor can taste the local cuisine, and a well-kept municipal camp-site which offers the possibility of a longer stay to those who prefer to spend more time in such beautiful surroundings than a simple excursion.

There is not only an interesting nature reserve dedicated to the conservation of the flora, with most of the autochthonous aromatic plants, but also an interesting environmental museum where herbs and essences are exhibited and research is carried out into the production of aromatic oils or fertilisation of plants “in vitro”.

Last but not least, this “Font de Fonts” offers the visitor rambles along well-marked routes or horse-rides through the mountain, allowing him to discover landscapes of rich natural beauty.

GUADALEST

As the visitor aprroaches and climbs the narrow streets full of little shops and stalls offering a wide range of typical products and handicrafts, he reaches the zig-zagging path up to the hundred-year-old door, carved into the very rock, which leads to the historic and impregnable fortress, from whose square there is a wonderful view of the reservoir.

A little further up, along the Via Crucis, the visitor reaches the terrace on which the castle, nowadays a cemetery, used to stand, to be rewarded with an exceptional panoramic view of orchards and pine forests streching away down to the sea, a landscape of breath-taking beauty.

Reminders of the Middle Ages are kept in a seculed fromer prison in the bassement of the Town Hall. In the assembly room, the visitor can appreciate a picture of considerable historic and artistic value.

Castell de Guadalest offers the visitor the added charm of its varied museums where delicate miniatures, artistic sculptures, everyday utensils or models of outstanding accuracy can be seen.

To complement all this, the typical mountain cuisine, handed down from generation to generation, is prepared with great pride in the various restaurants, making the visit to Castell de Guadalest an unforgettable experience which has inspired numerous travellers who have enjoyed this outstanding scenery to write glowing reports.

BENISSA

Benissa has stately buildings such as the House of the Torres- Orduña family, nowadays the Municipal Culture Centre, or the old Lonja de Contratación or Labour Exchange, nowadays the Ethnographic Museum.

Among other typical stately buildings can be found the Town Hall, built on the site of the old hospital, the Casal Del Jove (Youth Centre) or the Convent of the Franciscan Fathers.

Among the most outstanding monuments of Benissa is the parish church, dediceted to the Purísima Xiqueta. Construction was started in the early twentieth century and the temple is neo-gothic in style. Limestone from the local quarries was used in the construction of the church, and the result is an interesting construction of impressive size and pleasant appearance which, because of its importance, is popularly known as the Cathedral of the Marina.

The visitor should not forget to try the rich handmade sausages which have made Benissa famous both locally and further afield – or the rich food of the local inhabitants, whose recipes, handed down in the purest of traditions, are the basis of the menus in most of the local restaurants.