The Scenery of the Plana Alta. The Plana Alta is a district marked by the frontiers of the northern coast of Castellón, the haughty hills of the 'Palm Tree Desert' and the Santa Agueda needles, and the Sierra d'En Garcerán at its northernmost limit. It combines the attractions of the sea and the interior, sandwiched as it is between the sierras and the Mediterranean. The irregular coastal features give way to more rugged and mountainous terrain in the hinterlands.
BENICÀSSIM, TOURIST HAVENThe town of Benicàssim is a traditional tourist centre stretching along six kilometres of fine sandy beaches protected from the northern winds by tall mountains of varying heights, offering spectacular contrasts. It has a complete infrastructure for visitors, including an ample hotel lineup, numerous entertainment areas, sports and leisure facilities, as well as shopping centres and stores. There are also elegant Modernist villas along the northern part of the coast, constructed by the town's wealthier inhabitants at the beginning of this century. The urban centre, founded by the scholar Pérez Bayer, is located inland from the sea. It is relatively small in comparison to the large beach area with a floating population that seasonally occupies apartments and hotels. The parochial church is decorated with frescoes by Camarón Bonanat. Other historic monuments are the San Vicente watchtower, standing on its namesake's beach, and the Medieval castle of Montornés, from which the entire municipal district can be viewed from an altitude of 444 metres.
GET CLOSER TO NATUREProtected by the nearby mountains, the Desierto de las Palmas, or 'Palm Tree Desert', has a Monastery of the Carmelite Order, currently used by monks seeking retreat and meditation. It was here that the local herbal liqueur industry was first started. Today, the 'bodega' is located in the town centre and has broadened its product lineup to include sweet wine as well. Inside the Monastery is a Carmelite winemaking museum where the local liqueur elaboration process is described. Tastings can also be reserved (Tel. 964 30 09 62). The surrounding scenery is good for hiking or biking, with panoramic views reaching out to the Columbretes islands on a fine day.
FIESTAS AND FESTIVALSSt Anthony the Abbot (17 January)Santo Tomás de Villanueva (22 September)Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Festival (end of August)International Independent Music Festival (end of July)
SPORTSValencia Regional Sailing School
Variety is the watchword along the coast of Oropesa, impressing visitors with its attractive beaches. To the north of the cape of Oropesa lie the broad sandy beaches of Amplaries and Morro del Gos, ideal for marine sports, fun and sun. Towards the south is the Concha bay with five hundred metres of fine sand ending in a handsome seafront promenade. Between the Concha beach and the last spurs of the Sierra de Oropesa, which drop down into the Mediterranean, there is a modern marina with 668 moorings and a full range of services for boaters. Further south, the coastline changes abruptly and gives way to an attractive landscape of cliffs and coves surrounded by pine trees and Mediterranean shrubbery. Tucked into the mountain folds are the beaches of Bellver and Renegà, with a picturesque residential area. Close to the sea is the Torre del Rey (king's tower), built by Pedro I of Antequera to defend the region against attacks by Barbary pirates and Berbers. The "dovecote" towers of Sant Julià and La Dona also form part of the coastal defensive system. The picturesque old town centre still preserves the vestiges of an ancient Moorish castle, one of the fortresses occupied by the Cid while winning back these lands from the Moors.
FIESTASSan Jaime (25 July)
TORREBLANCAFrom Oropesa onwards the marshlands of Prat de Cabanes provide visitors with exotic scenery, solitude, tranquility, the chance to birdwatch and admire wildlife and exuberant vegetation. At the northernmost point lies Torreblanca, a peaceful town that conserves a painting by José Orient in its parochial church of St Bartholomew representing the story of the time the fearsome Barbary pirates made off with the town's monstrance. The Torrenostra beach, only three kilometres from the town centre, is ideal for enjoying the sun and the sea.
SIGHTSChurch of San Francisco (19th C)Parochial Church of St Bartholomew (18th C)Calvary chapel (18th C)Torre del Marqués (tower)
FIESTASOur Lady of Mt Carmel (16 July)Representation of the Passion during Holy Week
Alternative routes to the hinterlands of the district offer a number of must-see towns and villages: Borriol, la Pobla Tornesa, Vilafamés, Vall d'Alba, Cabanes, Cuevas de Vinromá and Vilanova d'Alcolea. The popular Museum of Contemporary Art of Vilafamés, open since the 1970s in the town's ancient Batlle palace, draws countless visitors and tourists, to a charming land dotted with hundred-year-old olive trees, almond orchards and rugged countryside, far off the beaten track.
The Cabanes arch, standing alone in the centre of the Pla de l'Arc plain, probably dates from the 2nd century, paying testimony to the concern for decorative motifs along this Roman road called the Via Augusta. In the town of Cabanes, there is a monumental complex formed by the San Juan Bautista church and the Ayuntamiento, which is well worth a visit.
Located next to the Mijares river, just a few kilometres from its mouth, this town was transformed into orchard lands by Romans and Moors. It still preserves its curious gridwork street plan and its Medieval walls in the old town centre or 'Vila'. Of note is the porticoed plaza del Ayuntamiento dating from the 15th century, as well as the Casa del Oficialat. The parochial church of the Nativity (17th C) conserves an oil painting of the Saviour by Joaquín Oliet, and the façade contains a Roman memorial tablet. Next to the St Quiteria chapel (17th C) there is a Medieval bridge by the same name. The 'Assut' or dam is an important work of Medieval engineering that detours water from the river for irrigation purposes, feeding the thirsty orchards of Almassora and Castelló.
MUSEUMSMunicipal Archeology Museum, tel. 964 56 13 28
FIESTASSt Quiteria (22 May)Our Lady of the Rosary (1st fortnight in October)
GASTRONOMYCookery in this district owes much to the sea, the market gardens and the orchards along the fertile coastal plain, with the addition of rice as a basic ingredient. Rice is queen of the cuisine here, from the classic paella to other varieties such as arròs a banda (rice in fish stock), empedrats (with lentils), amb bledes (with spinach), negre (with squid)... Along the coast traditional fare includes grilled seafood platters (parrilladas), whereas sturdy stews (ollas, olletas) take precedence in the interior, as well as charcoaled meats, tombet (lamb stew), lamb and rabbit, accompanied by a garlic sauce called all i oli. For dessert, the season's fruit - especially muscatel grapes and oranges, perhaps with a sip or two of the Carmelite liqueur made close-by, and some coques and pastissets.
BENICÀSSIMVia the A-7 motorway (junctions 45 or 46) and the N-340. Valencia Airport at 87km. RENFE railway station.
OROPESA DEL MARVia the A-7 motorway (junction 45) and the N-340. Valencia Airport at 95km. RENFE railway station. Ferries to the Columbretes islands.
TORREBLANCAVia the A-7 motorway (junction 44) and the N-340. Valencia Airport at 112km. RENFE railway station.