ROCK ART

The rock art of the Mediterranean Basin in the Spanish Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Region of Valencia is home to some of the most significant examples of this unique art form.

In mountains and gorges, in out of the way places, the interior of the Region of Valencia is home to more than 600 sites with rock art, 351 of which were included in the UNESCO declaration. The rock art of the Mediterranean Basin in the Spanish Peninsula takes a wide range of forms, ranging from the naturalistic images of Palaeolithic and Levantine art, to more abstract macro-schematic and schematic works, painted on front walls and in rock shelters.

If you are interested in this type of art, go to an interpretation centre to find out more about what guided tours are available and enjoy rock art to the full. The shelters where the art is located are often at the end of short trails with steep slopes, so a walk-through beautiful mountain areas is also guaranteed.

There are three major centres of rock art in the Region of Valencia: from north to south, these are els Ports y Alt Maestrat in Castellon, the Macizo del Caroig in Valencia and the Valles de la Marina and Alcoy in Alicante.

- Museu de la Valltorta (Tírig) the only museum exclusively dedicated to rock art in the Region of Valencia. The museum is located in the gorge of Valltorta, and from there you can visit the sites of Valltorta –Gasulla and many others in northern Castellon.

- Morella la Vella (Morella, Castellon): Not be missed if you want to find out more about the rock art of the mid and late Neolithic period, with visits to two important sites.

- Ecomuseo de Bicorp (Bicorp, Valencia), this museum is the starting point for routes to the magnificent Cueva de la Araña and Barranco Moreno, as well as other shelters.

- Museu Arqueològic Municipal Camil Visedo i Moltó d’Alcoi. From there you can visit the fascinating group of painting at La Sarga, in Alcoy

- Centro de Interpretación de Arte rupestre de Castells de Castells, near the group of paintings at Pla de Petracos (Vall d’Ebo).


There are also many opportunities to find out more about these unique cultural sites in museums such as the MARQ in Alicante, the Museu de Prehistòria in Valencia and the Museu de Bellas Artes in Castellon.


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