Discover Agres: Cava Gran, Nature and Culture
Accommodation in Agres
A striking starting point for Agres is Cava Gran d’Agres: it is located in Agres, in the Serra de Mariola in the Comtat, at an altitude of 1,220 metres. Built in the 17th century, it was used entirely for commercial purposes until 1906. As an emblematic example of this type of snow cellar structure, it is also considered a landmark of Serra de Mariola Natural Park.
File:Agres, 03837, Alicante, Spain - panoramio.jpg
Photo: bladimiro via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
When choosing a holiday apartment in Agres, it is worth looking at the travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions of the respective offers. Compare these details carefully before deciding on accommodation, while keeping your own travel plans in mind.
Culture
The Santuario de la Virgen del Castillo is located within the Sierra Mariola and its natural park. The origins of the Iglesia Parroquial de San Miguel in Agres date back almost to the time of the Christian conquest; the parish priest of Agres was already taking part in diocesan synods in Valencia in the first half of the 14th century.
Since 2016, the Representació de l’Aparició de la Mare de Déu d’Agres has taken place in Agres on the last Friday and Saturday in August. Religious ceramic altarpieces known as Els Taulellets, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, have been preserved in the streets and at the Santuario.
The Torre Atalaya is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC) under the Second Additional Provision of Law 16/1985. The archaeological sites in Agres include Cueva Beneito, where traces of human presence dating from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic have been found.
Routes
The A la sombra de las cavas route begins at the recreational area of the Convento de Agres and reaches the foot of the sanctuary after a short ascent. It passes close to the 18th-century Cava del tejo.
The slightly more than 1.5-kilometre-long Fonts d’Agres micro-route leads through Agres. Its starting point is at the Convent or the Santuario de la Mare de Déu del Castell; the route includes the Font de l’Assut and a washhouse.
The Ruta de los neveros de Mariola leads to Cava Gran.
For planning a day, the routes can be distinguished by their described features: a short ascent, a micro-route of slightly more than 1.5 kilometres and a destination at Cava Gran each offer a different focus.
Cuisine
Agres’s traditional cuisine includes Pericana, arroz caldoso, Gazpachos, Borreta and stuffed peppers.
Other destinations: Pego, Penàguila, Tabarca, Trencall, Margarida, El Ràfol d'Almúnia, Casas del Señor, Arneva
Nature
Agres has numerous water sources fed by the springs of Sierra Mariola Natural Park. After heavy rainfall, visitors can see waterfalls at Les Jordanes and Molí Mató.
One of Europe’s southernmost yew populations comprises centuries-old yew trees and other specimens approaching an age of around 1,000 years.
For the overarching travel overview: Alicante.
