The cave paintings, from more than 5000 years ago, belong to the Neolithic period. It is located in the municipality of Altea, on the southern face of the Sierra de Bernía. The paintings are barely noticeable but you have to keep them for being a unique record in the area. That is why they are behind a protected fence. According to the information panels, what you see is a series of seven horizontal and parallel zig zag. Their meaning is unknown to us although it is believed that these figures could evoke the water and waves it causes when it is in motion. In the upper part there are three human figures of bitriangular body that raise their arms towards the head or towards the sky These anthropomorphs are associated with women, since in Neolithic art the female figures are always represented wearing skirts. Above them are arranged symmetrically, two sun-shaped motifs and, on the sides, sets of zigzags and dots. In the lower face two human figures are observed with the body constituted by a wide bar, the circular head and the arms resting on the waist. Its shape, lacking feminine attributes, could indicate that it is men. Next to them you can see several sets of geometric patterns such as bars and dots and, at the top, four sun-shaped figures. The existence of astral type motifs “suns” and the figurative representation of water (zigzags and points), lead us to think that this narration could be related to the observation of astronomical and meteorological phenomena
A Renaissance watchtower, which was part of the coastal defensive system developed during the 16th and 17th centuries to defend the coast from the attacks of Barbaresque pirates. Although there are documents proving the existence of three towers in the natural park’s limits, the Gerro tower, a Renaissance fort (16th c.) is the only still remaining. It is one of the coast’s most outstanding towers. It has a circular shape, shaped like a truncated cone divided in 2 parts featuring a King Charles V coat-of-arms, supported by three cantilevers. The tower owes its name to its strange shape as a “pitcher or gerro” (a valencian language word for jar or pitcher). SITUATION How to get there: from the last regular bus tine in les Rotes Road (next to Restaurant Mena) we follow the road towards the east some 50 metres up to Via Làctia Street. Going up this street there is a fence that forbids vehicles from passing to the access way to the path leading to.
It is a tower built at the beginning of the 16th century, located at one of the entries to the town. This tower has undergone many variations in its structure, especially from the middle of the 19th century, when it was integrated as a part of a two-storey house. It is unknown which family it belongs to, but we know that the building is characterized as a country building of low nobility rank, possibly typical of a knight and associated to agricultural properties and to the means of communication between Bocairent and Banyeres. It is a square building with an approximate height of 18 m. It was built with externally uncoated masonry walls. The corners, cornices and lintels of holes and arches are made of ashlar masonry.
Is located at the foot of the castle and was built to commemorate the spot where the old hermitage of Saint George was set. It was devoted to Saint George, but today it no longer exists. It was the oldest hermitage in Banyeres, as it can be inferred by taking into account its location, so its construction may very well date back to between the 13th and the 15th centuries. There are only a few remains: one of its corners. According to photographic evidence it can be assured that by the end of the 19th century or in the early 20th it was still standing. This hermitage was also known as the one of El Conjurador because of the ability that the Saint had to conjure storms and evils before the pleas of the people gathered around his image. The current monument is located in a viewpoint overlooking the mountain and it allows the visitor to admire the natural environment that surrounds the town.
It is installed in a stately building built in 1857. It has the uniqueness of having some curious arcades in the ground with a corridor that serves the small square "dels Portxins".
This baker’s attests to the importance of bread as a staple in the time when it was constructed. It is of Arab origin and medieval characteristics documented as far back as the beginning of the 16th century. It is said to be one of the oldest in all of the Valencian Community and is a true architectural gem. Nowadays it is still fully functioning. It is well-known for its typical Jijona buns such as tonyetes (almond, flour and cinnamon), doblades which are only made for All Saints’ Day, cupcakes (madalenas) and tortadas (almond tortes) as well as a long list of other puddings and sweet dishes. The local bakers and confectioners make buns, sweets and other delicacies for all the visitors who would like to try the traditional Jijona confectionary.
The ancestral home of the Rovira family (17th & 18th Centuries). The family crest is to be found on the façade on the top floor. The crown was removed from this crest during the Second Republic. The Rovira family originally procedes from Catalonia and came to the Kingdom of Valencia towards the end of the 12th century. There are records of this family in Xixona going back to 1421. Throughout modern times family members have been leaders in local civic life. However, some of the more exalted members of the family moved to the neighbouring town of Alicante. With the passing of time some of those in the family who resided in Xixona adapted to the changing times and became active in the growing cottage industry, turrón (nougat) making. At the end of the 19th century several companies had been created and were destined to play a major role in the economy of the town at the beginning of the twentieth century.
At the entrance to the Parque de L´Aigüera a very different monument greets visitors: The new Town Hall, colloquially known as the ‘floorscraper’. The unique structure has aroused the interest of many architects and a lot of people come to visit it. The building is like a bridge which acts as a doorway to the green zone ‘L´Aigüera’ park. It juts out horizontally and you can walk underneath it. This 'horizontal skyscraper' is supported by four pillars. The glass façade is covered with thick slats with the names and surnames of the over 60,000 inhabitants of Benidorm from the year when its construction was finished.
Original building of 1922 that was acquired by the City Council in the early eighties, when it was practically doomed to his disappearance. After several years of rehabilitation work, it was inaugurated on February 16, 1995. Since its inception, it has been distinguished by the diversity of activities carried out in it, with a program designed to meet the cultural demands of the citizens of Aspe. The interior has been completely reconstructed, but it respects the three own bodies that we find in all the theaters: lobby, hall and scene. It has a capacity of 550 seats distributed in 290 of patio, 63 of boxes and 197 of amphitheater. The theater lobby is equipped to host exhibitions.
The Portalet is the name that is known to the door that leads to the square of the Church from its back side. Constitutes the second entrance of the square, besides the Church-street. This door was one of the entrances to the walled core upon which was built the first village, surrounding the Church.This space was in medieval times a walled enclosure conformed by slopes of the highest ground, the walls of the temple and the back of the houses. Walking from the square through the Portalet, it becomes a beautiful viewpoint seeing the Montgó, the Cape of Sant Antoni, the Bay of Xàbia and the hills that rise to the Puig Llorença.
Download your Alicante guide!