Starting in L'Alcúdia we head south to Villena on the A-31 motorway.
Filmed in August 2024.
L'Alcúdia is a town and municipality in the province of Valencia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the river Xúquer.
The locality is named after a 13th-century Moorish farmhouse, granted in 1238 by the Aragonese king Jaume I (James I) to Pere de Montagut. On January 17, 1252, this latter conceded the right to found a township upon these lands to 54 Christian pioneers after the Reconquista of the Valencian Moorish territories. The town was involved in many of the conflicts that shook Spain throughout its history: it was sacked during the "Revolta de les Germanies" in the beginning of the 16th century; in the 18th century, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the Bourbon troops plundered it again, and finally, during the Peninsular War it lodged a camp of French troops that looted everything from the villagers, leaving them in debt. During the Spanish Civil War, it was lucky to keep on the rearguard, although this did not spare the town from being bombed by Italian fascist planes, supporting Franco's uprising.
Notable architectural structures in the municipality include:
The Franciscan convent, ca. 1600, in ruins but with plans for restoration in progress
Church of the Immaculada (Verge de la Purisima) in Montortal, 17th century.
Church of Sant Andreu.
The Waterwheel (La Noria), dating from the 19th century,
La Mota, an aqueduct from the 19th century that pumped water from the Royal Irrigation Canal of the river Xuquer and provided water to almost the whole zone
The House of Culture, inaugurated in 1987, a modern and singular building.
L'Hort de Manus, where the Verge of the Church of Sant Andreu was reportedly hidden under a cattle trough during the Spanish Civil War
Notable people
Andrés Palop, former footballer
Luis Puig, former President of the Union Cycliste Internationale.
Voro, former footballer and former assistant manager of Valencia.
Villena (Spanish: [biˈʎena]; Valencian pronunciation: [viˈʎena]) is a city in Spain, in the Valencian Community. It is located at the northwest part of Alicante, and borders to the west with Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, to the north with the province of Valencia and to the east and south with the province of Alicante. It is the capital of the comarca of the Alto Vinalopó. The municipality has an area of 345.6 km² and a population of 34,144 inhabitants as of INE 2023.[3]
There is evidence of settlement in the area from Middle Paleolithic.[4] However, it is on dispute if the current city dates from visigothic times or before, though certainly it existed in the 11th century, during the Muslim period.[5] After the Christian conquest,[6] it became Seigneury, Principality, Duchy and finally Marquisate,[7] until the people, encouraged by the Catholic Monarchs, revolted against the marquis. In 1525 Charles V conceded the title of City to Villena.[8] This is the most economically prosperous period, as shown by the monuments that survived to nowadays. Although a railway station was inaugurated in 1858,[9] economy kept being mainly agricultural until the rural exode that took place in the 1960s. Then, the economic model changed rapidly so that currently economy is based mainly on tertiary sector and industry, chiefly footwear, construction and furniture.[10]
The historical city and surroundings contain an important group of historical remains,[11] including two castles and several churches, hermitages, palaces and squares, as well as a number of museums, standing out the Archaeological Museum "José María Soler". Among the main cultural events are the Moors and Christians festival and the Concurso de Jóvenes Intérpretes "Ruperto Chapí" (Young Interpreters Contest).
Main sights
Castle of la Atalaya, built by the Moors in the 11th century.
Municipal Palace
Saint James Church, a late Gothic Catholic church.
Archaeological Museum. Founded by archaeologist José María Soler García, it contains the Treasure of Villena.
Famous citizens -
Ambrosio Cotes, Reinassance composer.
José García Hidalgo, Baroque painter.
Joaquín María López, Spain's Prime Minister.
José María Soler, archaeologist.
Ruperto Chapí, zarzuela composer.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, tennis player.
Pablo Menor, jesuit priest.
Antonio Navarro Santafé, sculptor.
Carlos Alcaraz, tennis player.
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21 окт 2024
