Sella: Ruta de l’Aigua, Sierra Aitana and Cultural Heritage
Accommodation in Sella
Sella lies on the southern slope of the Sierra Aitana at the foot of the Penya de Sella. The Ruta de l’Aigua (SL-CV 112) offers a particularly vivid combination of landscape and local history: the easy circular trail is 6.3 km long and has an approximate walking time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. The route leads from springs through Sella’s historic irrigation system with canals and basins, between terraced orchards, to the historic centre and Plaça Major. Further hiking trails run along the ravines of l’Arc and Xarquer-Castellets. Trail length, walking time and trail character provide different points of reference for planning your day.
File:Hillside residential of Sella, la Marina Baixa, Alicante, Spain, 2024 January.jpg
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Landscape
The valley near Sella was shaped by the Sella and Amadorio rivers. On the slopes are terraced orchards fed by numerous springs, with dry-stone wall borders. At the Salt weir, the Arc and Sella rivers meet. The Font Major recreation area was closed until further notice; camping was prohibited there.
Hiking and activities
Sella offers various forms of exercise beyond the trails through the ravines. The Les Saleres municipal sports centre has a covered 35 × 9 metre trinquet where several disciplines of Pilota Valenciana can be played. Climbing is possible all year round in the Barranc de l’Arc. Paragliding takes place at Alt de Sella in the Barranc de Tagarina. Competitions in Pilota Valenciana can be attended in Sella every Sunday.
Culture and history
The Castell de Sella is a castle of Almohad origin; a section of the rammed-earth wall from the 12th century has been preserved. The complex consisting of Castell de Sella and Ermita de Santa Bàrbara is classified as a BIC and catalogued as a BRL. The Torre i Palau de la Baronía was built from 1507 onwards by the barons of Agres and Sella. The tower was built between 1530 and 1563, has a Gothic portal and was used as a prison on the ground floor.
The church of Santa Anna in Sella was built by Jaume Congost, who was active in the first half of the 18th century. Until the road was built in 1920, La Font was the main access route to Sella’s town centre. As early as the beginning of the 17th century, it was the town’s only spring for human water supply. The rock paintings at the Font de l’Arc are between 4,000 and 6,000 years old.
Historic hydraulic grain mills were established in Sella to harness water power for processing grain and supplying the population. Les Voltes was part of the historic trade route Camí del Peix through Sella; it had stables and inns for historic through traffic.
Festivals and traditions
The Festes Patronals en honor a la Divina Aurora take place in Sella in the first week of October and include a procession at dawn accompanied by a Rondalla. The Muestra de Productos y Cultura Mediterránea takes place annually at the beginning of summer and is a fair for handicrafts, gastronomy and folk culture. The Festa de Santa Bárbara is celebrated on 4 December and includes rockets and a pilgrimage to the Ermita de Santa Bárbara.
El tresor del Diví is a legend from Sella rooted in oral tradition that refers to the discovery of a treasure around 250 years ago.
More destinations
Elche, El Campello, Alicante, Orihuela, Callosa D'en Sarrià, Los Arenales Del Sol, Javea, Benejúzar
To the higher-level travel overview: Alicante.
