Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida ENG A Trail with Royal Seal Tourist info points of la Vall d’Albaida TOURIST INFO AIELO DE MALFERIT MUSEU DE NINO BRAVO Llutxent Passeig de l’Eixample, s/n Aielo de Malferit 46812 Aielo de Malferit Albaida T 96 236 07 20 / 654 394 296 Ontinyent aielodemalferit.es [email protected] Bocairent TOURIST INFO ALBAIDA MUSEU INTERNACIONAL DE TITELLES D’ALBAIDA (MITA) Plaça del Pintor Segrelles, 19 MANCOMUNITAT (Palau dels Milà i Aragò) DE MUNICIPIS 46860 Albaida DE LA VALL D’ALBAIDA T 96 239 01 86 DEPARTAMENT DE TURISME albaidaturisme.com c/ Sant Francesc, 8-3r-6a [email protected] 46870 Ontinyent T 96 238 90 91 TOURIST INFO BOCAIRENT F 96 238 85 45 Plaça de l’Ajuntament, 2 valldalbaida.com 46880 Bocairent mancovall.com T 96 290 50 62 [email protected] bocairent.org [email protected] TOURIST INFO LLUTXENT Av. de València, 66 46838 Llutxent T 96 229 43 86 / 96 229 40 01 llutxent.es [email protected] TOURIST INFO ONTINYENT Plaça de Sant Roc, 2 (Palau de la Vila) 46870 Ontinyent T 96 291 60 90 turismo.ontinyent.es [email protected] Inland experience The La Vall d’Albaida region is formed by 34 towns and located in the south of València province. The Vall is an inland jewel that offers many cultural and natural attractions. Its proximity to the coast and the most important cities in the region makes it a perfect place for rural and inland tourism. The Vall d’Albaida is surrounded by the Mariola Mountain range, the Grossa Mountain range, the Agullent’s Mountain range, the Benicadell’s Mountain range and the Buscarró Mountain range and bathed by the Clariano River and the Albaida River. For that reason it is a region that offers everything with a great environmental attraction. If you want to have a break from the city and enjoy the landscape of the area, the Vall d’Albaida offers you rich cultural heritage and exquisite cuisine. Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida | A Trail with Royal Seal 4 | 4 Index Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida 6 Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida: a trail with royal seal 8 The Conqueror King and the soil clours 12 Across Royal Towns: the heart of the Valley 12 From Bocairent to Ontinyent 18 From Ontinyent to Albaida 24 From Albaida to Montaverner across Bufali 30 From Montaverner to La Pobla del Duc 36 From La Pobla del Duc to Llutxent 44 The Moorish pathway: the memory of the vanquished 44 From La Pobla to Castelló de Rugat 46 To the Rugat’s castle across Rugat & Aielo 50 Accommodations and hostelry guide 56 Region map Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida | A Trail with Royal Seal Jaume I ain the Vall d’Albaida A Trail with Royal Seal There are historical characters that are of the shire, and which ends up going not only important biographically up to the mythic castle in Rugat, in speaking, but also leave their seal on the shady area of Benicadell Mountain the territory. That is the case of Jaume range. It is like homage to the defeated I, the king of Aragon who added the ones, in that historical trauma that the Vall d’Albaida region to Europe in the feudal conquest meant, divided into 13th century, and the one who two stages: from La Pobla to Castelló, established, on previous Muslim and from here to the castle in Rugat. settlements or in new locations, the If we go along flat paths and rural ways towns of Bocairent,Ontinyent, Albaida, like the royal way to Gandía, in a route Montaverner, La Po- bla del Duc and suitable for family tourism (on foot, Llutxent, repopulating them with bike, horse and even in a car in most Christian settlers. The route “Jaume I parts...), we will discover the farming, in the Vall d’Albaida region” connects river and mountain landscapes; the these municipalities along a way 49 values of the heritage, ethnography km long -divided in 5 stages- that goes and gastronomy of one of the most through the whole region, from the beautiful Valencian regions. This guide Bocairent of les Covetes dels Moros to will inform you about the different the Monastery of Corpus Christi and stages of the route, with the objective the Old Castle of Llutxent. of offering you a better planning. The As a supplement, it is offered a adventure of the medieval towns and “Moorish pathway” (11 km), which Moorish farmsteads is at your hands. diverts from La Pobla del Duc, through The advice offered in this guide is Castelló, Rugat and Aielo, to take us thought to the people who will cover closer to the traces of the Islamic past the route walking (the best option). 6 | 7 Llutxent’s Castle Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida | A Trail with Royal Seal 8 | 9 The Conqueror King and the soil colours Jaume I the Conqueror (Montpellier, 1208-Alzira, 27th July 1276), after conquering Mallorca and Ibiza, spread the Crown of Aragon over the Sharq Al-Ándalus (1233-1245) and founded the kingdom of Valencia (1240-1707). The Muslims were expelled from the towns and many rural farmsteads to create a network of villages populated by colonizers coming from Catalonia (two thirds) and Aragon, Navarra, Cas- tile and Occitania (one third). In most of the counties, these colonizers spoke Catalan, a language that started to be called Valencian in the middle of the 14th century. All of them shared some laws, the Fueros de Valencia, which, from the decade of 1330 contributed to the genesis of a national feeling of Valencianity, which is strongly present nowadays. The route “Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida region” is –in fact– a cultural homage to the founding king of the kingdom of Valencian people, and an invitation to discover through his figure –so mythologized along the centuries- the colours, tastes and sensations of an inland Valencian region. 10 | 11 Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida | A Trail with Royal Seal FromBocairent to Ontinyent Across royal towns: the heart of the valley Bocairent Bocairent (4,300 inhabitants) is the Museum; the fountains (Gracia and St. most touristy and beautiful town in the Jaime) and hermitages in old quarter county. It is well-known by its postcard (St. Juan, Agosto, Desamparados); the of the views of the old quarter -its cava (snow deposit) of St. Blas; the medieval nucleus-, which forms a stone monastery of the Agustinas (16th bunch of alleys with an Islamic century); the Bull ring (19th century) urbanism like a labyrinth on a rock dug in the rocks; the Magic route and surrounded by ravines. The visitor can the Calzada’s bridge (15th century); enjoy here the Caves of the Moors the hermitages and the Andalusian (Berber barns); the church of the bridges in the local area, and the Asunción (paintings by Juan de Juanes Mariola Mountain range, with and Segrelles, a gothic fountain from fountains, snow deposits and areas of the 15th century and an interesting archaeological interest. parish museum); the Archaeological Town of Bocairent Cava of St. Blas of Bocairent 12 | 13 A tour around the town of Bocairent From the general information board in St. Blas we go up taking a shortcut to St. Juan Street, Square, or from the nearby Tourist Office in the where we will find a house that reminds us to Town Hall Square, we start a tour signaled with the Arabian poet Ibn Ruhaym, and the simple marks in the old quarter of Bocairent that will hermitage of St. Joanet built on the foundation guide us along a labyrinth of alleys, typical in of a very old oratory. From the hermitage we can the Andalusian urbanism. go down to the Magic Route, that goes alongside We go alongside the Town Hall from the 19th the Town’s feet, and we arrive to the Pozo de century and go up towards the church in front San Vicente cave, the scene of a legendary of the Archaeo- logical Museum. Going through Vincentian miracle, and the Calzada’s bridge, Abadía Street we cross the narrow alley of which will be the starting point to our first Embós and go down –in a pleasant environment stage. of fountains and washing places– towards the hermitage of the Virgin of the Desamparados. We will find remains of medieval houses in Muret Street, and a viewpoint pointing the orchards in the ravine. We continue going up the stairs to cross St. Vicent square and visit then streets like the one of the Seven Slopes (winding stairs) or Virgin of August, around a gate and hermitage dedicated to that virgin. Now, instead of going out through the gate, Town of Bocairent Town of Bocairent 14 | 15 From Bocairent to Ontinyent (10 km - 3h 20’ approx.) Jaume I in the Vall d’Albaida | A Trail with Royal Seal From Bocairent to Ontinyent Across royal towns: the heart of the valley Itinerary from Bocairent to Ontinyent (10 km - 3h 20’ approx.) We will go along the ancient road from 35’ The rock stairs finish and we cross Bocairent to Ontinyent, prior to the the private way in Massarra’s estate to construction of the mountain pass go down through Fos ravine (also called modern road in Bocairent. This itinerary Tarongers ravine in Ontinyent) following goes through Massarra’s mountain and a signaled path (PRV-122). The first part takes profit of Fos’ ravine course to reach is partially paved with flagstones and dug Ontinyent through Pou clar’s landscape.