The county of Vall d’Albaida sits in the valley of the River Albaida, the defining feature of said valley. It is hilly and criss-crossed by small gullies home to rosebays. In the 8th-century the Arabs named the area “Al-Bayda” or “The White Land”; the valley is very much self-contained with more than thirty villages sheltered by a beautiful cluster of peaks, home to streams, beautiful views and shaded areas where aromatic plants flourish. Near the complex there are examples of traditional ploughmen’s houses with their wooden doors, enchanting, isolated shrines, alleys left over from the Islamic period, stately mansions and rocky castles.

The area is rich in traditional cuisine, especially pastries. The locals are polite, friendly, and speak Valencian (a variant of Catalan, the language spoken in and around Barcelona, a mixture of French and Spanish), and are unaccustomed to seeing too many tourists. We would recommend you try and visit some of the following local festivals: “Arab and Christian” in Bocairent (February), Ontinyent (August) and Albaida (October). For older and more traditional festivities, don’t miss the bonfires of San Antonio del Porquet (17th February), which take place in almost the whole valley (especially in Benissoda) or the festivities in Palomar (May).

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