Novelda: Modernism, Culture and Routes along the Vinalopó

Novelda can be explored particularly vividly through the Casa Museo Modernista, which is considered an outstanding example of eclectic Modernist architecture in the province of Alicante. Its features include carved wood, glass, stucco, ceiling and wall paintings, marble, and furniture from the period. The staircase and the courtyard surrounded by white marble columns are especially noteworthy.

Culture

The Museo del Modernismo was opened after the Casa Palacete Gómez-Tortosa had been rehabilitated, restored and converted into a museum. It conveys the history of Modernism in Novelda, the economic and social context of its development, and the history of the house itself. In keeping with the original layout, the museum reconstructs a tea room, dining room, kitchen and library, and displays historic furniture from the Gómez-Tortosa family's collection.

Another historic landmark is the Parroquia arciprestal de San Pedro Apóstol. Construction began in 1553, and it was redesigned in the Baroque style in the 18th century. The building of the Sociedad Cultural Casino de Novelda has two floors with large halls for games, social gatherings, exhibitions, conferences and piano concerts.

The Museo Histórico-Artístico de la ciudad de Novelda has a room for a permanent exhibition, an area for educational activities and temporary exhibitions, a specialist library, and a laboratory. The Moros y Cristianos festivities in Novelda have the status of a regional tourist-interest festival and have a history spanning more than fifty years. They are celebrated from 19 to 25 July.

For school groups and cultural associations, the Museo Histórico-Artístico de la ciudad de Novelda offers guided visits, by prior arrangement, to the Museo Arqueológico, the Castillo de La Mola and the old town. Tourist Info Novelda organises guided walking tours of the city for groups that request them in advance. A virtual 360-degree tour of the Ermita de San Felip shows the burial crypt inside, which is not accessible during a physical visit. The Santuario de Santa María Magdalena was temporarily closed because of significant cracks in the eastern tower.

The various types of visit focus on different aspects: historic interiors, collections, urban history, festival traditions and guided walking tours can be considered separately when planning your own itinerary.

More destination pages: Beniarrés, Busot, El Campello, Monforte Del Cid, Benidoleig, Jacarilla, L'Alguenya and El Moncayo.

Nature

The route through the Paraje Natural Municipal de Els Clots de la Sal i Serra de la Mola includes the Clots Roig and Negre, the remains of the Acequia Mayor canal, and a birdwatching area. There, visitors can discover the wildlife in the surroundings of the Vinalopó River. A guided hiking activity organised by the Ayuntamiento de Novelda followed the section of the local CV-127 hiking trail located along the Vinalopó River in the Paraje Natural Municipal de Els Clots de la Sal i Serra de la Mola.

For the wider travel overview: Alicante.