DK Travel : Costa Blanca : History & Culture

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Jaime I (1208–76)

The first to make major gains against the Arabs in the Costa Blanca.
José de Ribera (1591–1652)

One of Spain’s finest painters, he was born in Xàtiva but spent most of his life in Italy.
José Moñino Redondo (1728–1808)

A key figure in the Spanish Enlightenment. Born in Murcia.
La Mola

This curious castle, with the only triangular tower in Europe, is cheek by jowl with a Modernista sanctuary.
Modernista (c.1880–c.1920)

A regional variation on Art Nouveau: flowing lines, organic forms, and highly detailed decorative elements.
Moratalla

Sleepy Moratalla dreams on a hillside in the remotest corner of Murcia, a chaotic jumble of tiled rooftops under yet another ruined castle. The streets are so steep that the locals get around on mopeds. A viewing point near the castle offers fine views across the sierra.
Múdejar

A fusion of Christian and Islamic art created by the Arabs who remained in Spain after the Reconquest.
Mula

Steeply mounted on a sheer cliff, Mula is guarded by an imposing castle. Narrow streets meander between handsome squares lined with 16th-century churches and palaces. On the outskirts, there’s a fine spa, in use since Roman times.
Penáguila

Time seems to have stood still in Penáguila, a small village of ochre houses huddled around a sturdy 16th-century church. On the outskirts are the immaculate flower gardens and ponds of the 19th-century Jardín de Santos. Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the ruins of an ancient castle are set among forest high above the village.
Petrer (Petrel)

Precipitously balanced on a razor-thin cliff, this castle was built by the Arabs.