Where History Meets Nature

The city of Murcia was founded in 831 by Abd-Al-Rahman II in the centre of the Valley of the River Segura. The city wall indicates the importance achieved by the city under Arab rule. Parts of the wall are still visible in places around the city; the wall originally measured 15 metres in height and had 95 towers.

Orihuela is the capital of the region of the “Vega Baja del Segura”; it has been the capital of a province and even of a kingdom. It has a long history being at the crossroads between the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha. In 576 it was the capital of the Visigothic province of Aurariola,

Yecla is a town with a singular spirit, due mainly to its enclave situation, and is the living image of ‘Castilian’ Murcia, the area of transition between the coastal zone and the plains of La Mancha. It is naturally a town of enormous character which has impressed such writers as Azorín or Pío Baroja.

Villena, is the capital of the Alto Vinalopó district and is located in the northwestern part of the Alicante province, at a unique crossroads between the Valencian, Manchegan and Murcian regions. This fact has conditioned many aspects of its population, such as speech and gastronomy. 

Cehegín is one vast hilltop monument. Former glories of this town can be seen in the remains of the city of Begastri, occupied by both Romans and Visigoths, and an episcopal seat up until the Moorish invasion. The whole of this territory has many layers of the various cultures that established themselves here, the first settlers going back to 2400 BC. 

Caravaca de la Cruz is a town located on the borders of Murcia and Granada. The Iberians, Romans and Muslims all passed through this town, which has developed around its Castle, built in the 15th century and commissioned by the Knights Templar. However, Caravaca is essentially the holy town, the town of the cross that carries its name. 

Bullas is an age-old vinicultural region, as shown by the statue of the god Bacchus found during excavation of a nearby Roman site. This is a highly prestigious winegrowing area that yields such distinctive wines as Carrascalejo: robust reds and brandies and especially the fruity rosés,  which are bottled in the neoclassical palace of the same name.

Perched on a panoramic hilltop, crowned by the remains of a castle, Moratalla could be regarded as one big monumental ensemble with its quiet corners and its maze of hilly, narrow streets full of history. Rupestrian art together with the remains of Iberian, Roman and Mediaeval settlements, all bear witness to the former occupation of this area.