Bocairent, Bocairente in Castilian, is a municipality of about 4,300 people in the south of the province of Valencia, in the Vall d'Albaida district, at the foot of the Serra de Mariola. Its old town, a listed heritage site, is one of the finest in the Valencian Community.
History
Inhabited since prehistory, the site was a Muslim fortress taken by King James I in 1245. The village grew in the Middle Ages on a rocky spur between two ravines, with houses huddled together. From the 18th century it was an important textile centre, an industry that continues today.
What to see
- The barrio medieval, with narrow lanes, covered passages and houses of Muslim origin that seem to hang over the void.
- The Covetes dels Moros, around fifty small artificial caves cut into a ravine wall, of still mysterious origin and purpose, perhaps granaries or hermitages.
- The bullring, a 19th-century arena largely carved from the rock, among the oldest in the region.
- The Cava de Sant Blai, a nevera, an old ice house cut into the rock where snow was stored.
- The church of the Assumption with its parish museum and the hermitage of Sant Antoni Abat.
- The Pont de la Vila, the bridge linking the old village to the new town.
Nature
The Serra de Mariola natural park is famous for its aromatic and medicinal plants, used for liqueurs and essences, and for hiking trails leading to Montcabrer, one of the highest peaks in the province of Alicante, and the sources of the Vinalopó river.
Festivals and food
The main festival is Moors and Christians, in early February, in honour of St Blaise, with costume parades, arquebus battles and the re-enactment of the castle's capture: it is among the oldest in the region. Food: putxero amb pilotes, arròs al forn, minxos, a kind of flatbread, and almond sweets. Try the Mariola herb liqueurs too.
Getting there
Bocairent is about 95 km from Valencia and 80 km from Alicante. The nearest railway station is Ontinyent. A car is best for the village and the Serra de Mariola.