To the north of Alicante on the Costa Blanca, Spain, there are quite a number of interesting little towns to visit that are not so well known to visitors to the area but are worth a visit nonetheless. Amongst the most interesting of these are Castalla, Biar, Agost and Onil. Castalla is a town of around 8,000 and is well known for the production of toys, as are other towns in this region, its most important historic monument is its 11th century Moorish castle. Another town dominated by its castle is Biar, completely unspoilt by tourism Biar also boasts a charismatic church with a tall attractive bell tower. Agost has a population of just under 5,000 and is the smallest of our towns, Agost is best known for its pottery, with 11 potteries still operating in the town, many in the traditional style. Our final town is Onil, a pretty little town also well known for the production of toys, in Onil you will find a 17th century palace-fortress and the 18th century church of Santiago Apostle.
August 26, 2009
The Story of Luton Bedfordshire
A large town located in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Luton dates from a Saxon settlement established on the River Lea during the 6th century. Listed as Loitone in the Domesday Book, Luton developed as a mostly agricultural town. In 1240 the town was called Leueton, though most of the town was later destroyed by a great fire (1336). The arrival of a brick-making industry in the 16th century, led to most of its houses being rebuilt in brick rather than the traditional wood. Luton has for a long time been associated with hat-making and this industry in fact started during the 17th century, but had declined by the early 20th century, being largely replaced by an emerging car manufacturing industry, as Vauxhall Motors opened a new plant in 1905, at the time the largest car manufacturing factory in the UK. Bedfordshire Map.
Olot and Besalu Girona
Two interesting inland towns of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain are Besalu and Olot, both worth a visit for their own merits Besalu and Olot are both within the comarca of Garrotxa and are in fact the former and present capitals of that district. Besalu, though only a small town with a population of just over 2,000, was formerly of great importance for the region and was controlled by a dynasty begun by Wilfred the Hairy for over 200 years. Settled by Romans, Visigoths, Franks and various other cultures Besalu has some very ancient buildings worth visiting, the landmark of the town is the eleventh century fortified bridge which crosses the River Fluvia at the entrance to the town, this unique bridge has a fortified gatehouse and a portcullis.Besalu became a Historic national Monument in 1966 and many of its buildings have been restored to their former glory. Olot, to the west of Besalu is the current capital of the Garotxa district and was very important for textile manufacture during the 18th and 19th centuries. The demands of the textile industry encouraged the forming of the Olot School of art, which was founded by a group of local artists whose work can be seen in the Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa. Both towns are well inland from the Costa Brava coastline and experience a considerably different climate from the coast, in fact Olot weather can be very cold during the winter with possibilities of snow and temperatures often verging on freezing, the Garrotxa region also experiences more rainfall with around forty inches per year. Catalonia Map.
Benissa, Teulada, Benitachell and Cumbre del Sol
Surrounding the northern Costa Blanca resort of Moraira there are a number of interesting little towns which are less well known than this more popular coastal town, these include the towns of Benissa, Teulada, Benitachell and Cumbre del Sol. Benissa is an interesting town with a history going back to the times of the Moors (the name is from the Arabic Banu-Issa), the old town is well preserved and has some important historic monuments. Equally old is Teulada, with its narrow winding streets and “Sea Doorway” an ancient part of the old medieval walls which protected the town. The small town of Benitachell is between Moraira and Javea and has a number of new developments surrounding it including the largest, Cumbre del Sol which also has its own small beach and enjoys wonderful panoramic sea views.
Devon Towns Crediton Tiverton and Bideford
Three historic towns in the county of Devon, UK, Crediton, Tiverton and Bideford are all worth a visit for varying reasons. The inland town of Crediton is located in the Mid Devon region and is well known as the birthplace of the Christian Missionary St Boniface in 672 AD. Worth seeing in Crediton is the Church of the Holy Cross, dating from the 11th century. Also in the Mid Devon region, the town of Tiverton stands at the confluence of two rivers (the River Lowman and River Exe), and is an ancient place with evidence found of both Stone Age and Iron Age settlements, the town however grew mostly during the 16th and 17th centuries and prospered due to the wool trade. Heading on to the north coast of Devon, you will find the town and port of Bideford, sitting on the estuary of the Torridge river, the first thing you notice about the town is the striking 24 arched bridge crossing the river, the bridge dates from the 13th century and gives evidence of the importance of the town which later became one of the busiest ports in England, rumoured to have seen the first imports of tobacco by Sir Walter Raleigh.