Alpuente

Sightseeing of Alpuente.

The municipality of Alpuente, at almost one hundred kilometres from Valencia, is built on a hillock sitting between the mountains of San Cristóbal and El Castillo, lying almost a picturesque landscape at one thounsand metres above sea level and surrounded by fields of wheat and grapes.

The town centre conserve its features from yesteryear, with typical streets, houses adorned with ancient coats of arms, manorial homes and fortifications. On the top of an enormous rock tooth dominating the town are the ruins of the castle of Alpuente, providing an excellent lookout from which to enjoy a panoramic views of the area.

Aljama's tower in the town of Alpuente.

The history of the town of Alpuente is known to go back to the days of Roman domination. In the 8th century it came under the control of the Moors and in the 11th century Alpuente was the capital of a petty kingdom. During this period Alpuente had an economic and cultural blossoming. Alpuente became part of the Kingdom of Valencia after James I conquest. However, after Carlist Wars of the 19th century the formidable fortress of Alpuente was destroyed, leaving only the remains of the castle which can be seen today.

The aqueduct of Los Arcos, close to Alpuente's town.

On your walk through the town, steeped in the atmosphere of medieval times, it is possible to see former noblemen's homes, ancient bakeries, wrought iron balconies in Aragonese style and other details showing that much emphasis has been placed on conserving town's heritage.

Not more than 2 km from the village along the road of La Yesa, it is found the medieval aqueduct of Los Arcos. this was used to supply the entire population of the town, providing excess water for irrigating terraced orchards and gardens thanks to the prolific Nueva and Marimacho springs. 

Sauropod remains at the Museo Paleontológico de Alpuente.

The district of Los Serranos offers visitors splendid landscape views and beauty spots. The mountains, towering to heights of 1,500 m, are topped with jagged, rocky teeth, forming steep valleys and narrow canyons.

The palaeontological museum (Museo Paleontológico de Alpuente) is located in a former chapel and houses one of the most interesting palaeontological collections of the region of Valencia. Inside the building it is possible to see dinosaur bones recovered from different palaeontological excavations in the area of Alpuente, including part of a skeleton of a large sauropod.