El Vinalopó is the Peninsula's historical hiking trail. Its river connects the sea with the peninsula's inland, as is highlighted by its history, infrastructure, literature and legend. The so-called route of the castles confirms the geographic importance of these towns, where the construction of fortresses was the most widely used strategy by the different settlers in order to control and defend their territories.
The route of the castles includes the fortresses of the municipalities of Elche, Novelda, Elda, Petrer, Sax, Villena, Banyeres de Mariola and Biar, to which we can also add those of Santa Pola, Onil and Castalla. These villages use the bastions as a lure to promote the heritage and cultural and gastronomic resources of a territory that runs alongside the river Vinalopó. And they do so in a coordinated way, offering those who want to get to know this inner area of the Costa Blanca a route which enables them to visit their castles, history, art and the way of life of its residents, who are very proud of the towns they live in.
It is a good idea to start in Castalla, due to the respect instilled by its 11th century castle and for the enthralling and welcoming feeling experienced when taking a walk within the city's walls and the landscapes of Xorret de Catí. Villena, on the other hand, is the perfect place to get lost. Everything in this town is worth a visit. The castle, built on a mosque and located by the old town, the Municipal Palace, the Sanctuary of Virtues and the Church of the Archpriest of Santiago make up one of the most important Renaissance-Gothic sites in the Valencian region.
Legend has it that the Cid Campeador passed through this land on his countless battles until he conquered Valencia, according to the 13th century poem "El Cantar del Mío Cid" ("The Poem of the Cid"). The Route of El Cid, therefore, is a bastion of Valencian literature and idiosyncrasy. Visitors can also visit the Tesoro de Villena, the most important Bronze Age treasure in Spain and the second most important in Europe, in the Archaeological Museum of José María Soler de Villena.
The fortress of Sax was restored a few years ago and offers a perfect view of the "hiking trail of El Vinalopó", whose roads were used by Iberians, Romans, Moors and Christians. The municipality also offers an exceptional natural landscape for trekking, known as La Torre.
Elda's castle, on the other hand, is in ruins, although its nobility can be appreciated from afar. But its bastion image must not distract you from visiting the urban area of the Spanish shoe capital. It has a museum dedicated to its shoe-making history, unique in Spain, and an Outlet Route, which constitutes simple signposted routes to enable visitors to find the best shoes in terms of quality and design. A few kilometres from Elda is Petrer, which is full of history and beautiful landscapes, as well as a castle that has been declared a historic-artistic monument.
This route also includes a visit to the fortresses found in villages such as Banyeres de Mariola, Biar and Novelda, which are made more enjoyable if you decide to do the route over a number of days and at your own pace, getting to know and enjoy the area's rich gastronomy. You can also do the Alicante Wine Route to get to know its wine culture, tradition and customs, with the possibility to visit a number of wineries to take part in some wine tasting and to learn about how wine is made.
Villena, for example, has a number of wineries: Sierra de Salinas, Francisco Gómez, Bernabé Navarro and Vinessens. The Bocopa wineries, established in 1987, can be found in Petrer, while the Finca Collado is located in Salinas. The municipality of Sax has set up a cooperative which produces fresh, palatable wines with a high alcohol content.