Discover Alcalalí: Trails, Cultural Heritage and Valencian Cuisine

Alcalalí between river landscapes and village culture

Alcalalí combines a river landscape with rural paths and a distinctive village culture. The Gorgos River crosses the municipality of Alcalalí. Rural paths in the municipality pass through landscapes surrounded by terraces of almond and orange trees.

History between tower, church and rock art

Alcalalí preserves the Valencian Pilota tradition, particularly the street-played variant A Llargues. The medieval tower of Alcalalí was built at the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century for surveillance and as a final refuge during invasions. The tower contains graffiti and engravings from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The parish church Iglesia de la Natividad de Nuestra Señora also tells a story of distinctive construction: it was built between 1768 and 1808 and rebuilt in 1961 after suffering severe damage during the Spanish Civil War. At Abric del Siguili, the rock art consists of two schematic anthropomorphic figures and belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. This gives culturally interested visitors the opportunity to explore military history, ecclesiastical architectural history and prehistoric rock art as distinct themes. One practical limitation concerns the Ethnological Museum: it is temporarily closed to the public.

Hiking trails with different profiles

The Piedra y Agua route runs along the Gorgos River and brings the architectural and water-management heritage of the villages in the Valle de Pop to life. For a linear hike, the approved PR-CV 425 trail begins at Alcalalí Town Hall Square and ends at the Mirador del Coll de Rates viewpoint. The route passes through Mosquera, crosses the Gorgos River and runs through a pine forest before reaching the Coll de Rates viewpoint. Peña Talai, by contrast, is a 12.7-kilometre moderately difficult circular hiking route that begins at the square in front of Alcalalí Town Hall. Alcalalí is also included in the second stage of the GR-330 Costa Blanca Interior long-distance trail. This stage is 25.2 kilometres long, has a moderate difficulty level and takes approximately six hours. The routes therefore differ in length and format: a circular route, a linear trail and a long-distance stage offer different foundations for your personal planning. If you would like to choose hikes by length and route format, the 12.7 kilometres of Peña Talai and the 25.2 kilometres of the GR-330 stage can be compared directly.

Regional cuisine and Feslalí

Alcalalí's local recipe tradition includes couscous and cocas. Alcalalí's cuisine uses local almonds, oil, honey, wine, rice and vegetables. Traditional recipe names thus meet products from the municipality's agriculture. The recurring festival Feslalí. Febrero es Alcalalí is a festival held in February that focuses on the municipality's landscape, agriculture, culture and population. Feslalí brings together agriculture, gastronomy, landscape and tourism with cultural events; at its tenth edition, carob was the focus. This provides you with a culinary perspective that brings together recipes, raw ingredients and a recurring municipal festival.

For further discoveries of local places, you can visit Relleu, Benissili, Abdet, Benilloba, Beneixama, Cocentaina, Penella and Onil.

For the overarching travel overview: Alicante.