Living History in the Rock
The Castell de Guadalest is a small village, a Moorish stronghold, seated on a rocky escarpment from which the entire valley is dominated. This strategic position gives it a unique beauty. The houses occupy the ground of an ancient fortress that was inhabited by the Moorish population, who found an ideal place for defense here.
The village is reached after crossing the suburb and going through a cleft formed between two rocks. At the highest part, touching the sky, lies the ancient castle of San José.
An Emerald Valley
Nestled in the Guadalest Valley, the surroundings are formed by the towns of Confrides, Benifato, Beniardá, Benimantell, and Abdet. Ancient villages with Moorish reminiscences that still keep a Moorish flavor in their streets.
The wide valley (116 km²), with its irregular paths, terraces, and ravines, as well as the Aitana, Xortà, and Serrella mountain ranges, invite the traveler to get carried away. It is the perfect place to contemplate the flora and fauna or simply enjoy delicious walks in nature.
A Walk Through Time
"After crossing the modern area located outside the walls, under the Peñón, and following the winding path of the Costera del Portal upwards, the old Castell de Guadalest welcomes the visitor with a peculiar entrance sculpted in stone, decorated in Mediterranean style with semicircular arches. Next to it, the secluded church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin embeds its white walls into the living rock."
The tunnel gives way to a fortified enclosure where the old town hides. At the highest point and adjacent to the local cemetery, the remains of its ancient fortress attest to a tumultuous past, but today they rest in peace, dominating with a glance the rugged peaks and the lush valley with the reservoir in the background.
Its charming and tiny Town Hall and the beautiful palace of the Marquises of Orduña add to the charms of a place that barely two hundred inhabitants zealously pamper. A breathtaking landscape and a pristine white Levantine town that captivates anyone who visits.