Discover Castalla: Castle, Hiking Trails and Local Traditions

Castle, Xorret de Catí and Fontés

The Castillo de Castalla can be visited year-round from Wednesday to Sunday in the mornings as part of guided tours. In July and August, evening tours are also offered. The Castillo de Castalla is classified as a monument of cultural interest, a Bien de Interés Cultural, and comprises the Palau, the Pati d’Armes and the Torre Grossa.

The Xorret de Catí recreational area is located in the municipality of Castalla, in the comarca of l’Alcoià. For outdoor stays, it offers barbecue areas, a kiosk bar, children’s play areas, drinking fountains, toilets, picnic areas with sinks, public lighting and parking spaces. Xorret de Catí has 11 hiking trails, a via ferrata, a botanical circular route and a climbing wall. The PRV-85 Castalla-Planisses hiking trail begins in the urban area of Castalla.

The Campament de Fontés is an adventure camp open year-round. At the Campament de Fontés, visitors can take part in various multi-adventure activities such as abseiling, climbing, canoeing and zip-lining. Castalla also has a literary route based on Enric Valor’s work “Sense la terra promesa”.

Churches, Palaces and Local History

The Ermita de la Sang is a religious building in the early Gothic style. It dates approximately from the second half of the 13th century. Until 1571, it was the parish church of Castalla. It has the status of a Bien de Relevancia Local in the category of a monument of local interest.

The Convento de los Franciscanos Mínimos in Castalla was built from the mid-18th century onwards and completed in 1810. The monastery’s temple reflects the ascetic orientation of the Franciscans.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a Gothic church from the 16th century. Its single-nave layout is divided into five bays with side chapels, while the Mannerist portal dates from the 17th century.

The 19th-century mansion of the Soler family is popularly known as Casa Vermella or Casa Roja. Its façade is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

Carrer Major became the town’s main thoroughfare in the 17th century. Its façades, coats of arms, balconies and ornamental details reveal Castalla’s aristocratic past. Foia Catalina is a quarry south of Castalla’s town centre, where the extracted material was processed on site and converted into gypsum powder. This processing method was considered significant throughout the region. The kilns of Foia Catalina illustrate the history of the local “algepsars” workforce. The second Battle of Castalla took place on 13 April 1813. Spanish and British troops defeated the French troops under General Suchet.

Festivals and Specialities from Castalla

Castalla’s festivities in honour of its patron saint, Mare de Déu de la Soledad, take place from 1 September through 4 September inclusive, have a history spanning more than two centuries and comprise seven comparsas. These festivities include the Entrada, a flower-offering ceremony, the “Ballà dels Banderes” procession and the “Baixada de la Mare de Déu” procession with arquebus salutes. “Les danses” is a three-day traditional folk-dance festival held on the penultimate weekend of September at Plaça Major and accompanied by dolçaina and tabalet.

Local bars and restaurants prepare gaspatxos using unleavened flatbread, various types of meat, mushrooms, snails, tomatoes, onions and pebrella. In the traditional serving ritual for gaspatxos, the dish is served on yeast bread baked over oven embers and accompanied by red wine and allioli. Bakeries and pastry shops in Castalla sell sequillos, pastissets de moniato, tonyes, aguardiente rolls, wine rolls, mantecados and almond pastries.

Further Destinations

Biar, Onil, Parcent, Castillo de Montemar, Daya Vieja, Elche, La Canalosa and Busot.

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