Cocentaina: Palau Comtal, City Walls and Serra de Mariola
Accommodation in Cocentaina
The Ruta de la Muralla de Cocentaina follows the former course of the fortifications. Nine information panels, marked signs along the route and indications of the locations of former city gates accompany the route.
File:Cocentaina, Alicante, Spain - panoramio - Estroncio.jpg
Photo: Estroncio via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Culture and History
Palau Comtal permanently displays artworks from the 14th to the 19th century, as well as archaeological remains found in the palace. The first construction phase of Palau Comtal could date back to the late 13th or early 14th century.
Castillo de Cocentaina is a square, two-storey Gothic defensive tower built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Castillo de Penella dates from the late 13th century; its 15-metre-high main tower is attached to the castle wall.
Casa Museo Festero displays festive clothing, a monographic exhibition about Gustavo Pascual, the composer of the pasodoble “Paquito el Chocolatero”, as well as edged weapons from around the world and from various periods.
Iglesia del Salvador was built at the end of the 16th century on the site of a former mosque that had been Christianised in 1530. Its single-nave layout is divided into four sections with chapels and follows Renaissance schemes.
Museo Arqueológico del Comtat is housed in a mid-13th-century building that was remodelled in the 15th century and completely renovated in the 18th century in the style of a bourgeois house. Its ethnological hall presents the traditional cultivation of wheat, olives and grapes, as well as the artisanal production of flour, oil and wine.
Iglesia de Santa Maria preserves archaeological remains near the main façade and traces of an old cemetery outside the side façade. The preserved interiors of Convento de los Franciscanos combine Renaissance and Baroque elements.
Routes and Geographical Setting
Serra de Mariola Natural Park is shared by Cocentaina and other municipalities in the comarcas of l'Alcoià, El Comtat and Vall d'Albaida.
The cycling route between Cocentaina and l'Alqueria d'Asnar passes through the settlement of l'Alcúdia de Cocentaina, which belongs to Cocentaina, before reaching l'Alqueria d'Asnar.
The area of Castillo de Cocentaina lies at an altitude of 765 metres above sea level. A path leads from the access road to a plateau at the foot of the tower. The tower can be reached via a path running along the slope.
The route to Paraje de Santa Bàrbara is short and easy to find from the town. Until the 18th century, Cocentaina's medieval city walls had an irregular quadrilateral shape and extended for a perimeter of more than one kilometre. To the east and south, they were bordered by the natural ravines Barranc del Sord and Barranc de Santa Bàrbara.
When selecting a holiday apartment in Cocentaina, you can compare travel dates, category and cancellation conditions on the respective listing page. Check this information in connection with the historical sites, routes and landscape-related topics you would like to consider during your stay.
Other Places
Other places that you can access from this page include Beneixama, Catral, Aspe, Els Poblets, Bolulla, Montesol, Los Montesinos and Penella.
To the higher-level travel overview: Alicante.
