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Calpe Travel Guide
An oasis in the most popular tourist region of the Costa Blanca. A privileged enclave beside the calm blue waters of the Mediterranean, where outstanding natural beauty, gastronomy, culture, the sea and the mountains are part of the everyday life of its inhabitants all year round. The Old Town is beginning to attract more and more visitors because it is becoming a very interesting part of the town. There are Museums, picturesque little streets and squares and many bars and restaurants, most of them with a lively terrace, an ideal place to spend a pleasant summer evening.
Calpe will surprise you with its daring contrasts, where modern buildings and wide avenues harmonize with an ancient fishing village, where locals are proud of their past, yet welcome tourists and visitors with warm hearted hospitality.
Calpe is a town which is full of history and culture. Its strategic location on the coast has attracted many voyagers and settlers throughout history. Remains of Iberian tribes were discovered around the skirts of the Rock of Ifach. Later, the Romans founded a prosperous colony on the coastal plain whose main activity was commerce in dried, salted fish. During the Medieval period, the farming population was spread out in a number of independent settlements. Christians and Moors lived peacefully for a time, but the local population suffered continual attacks by pirates during the 14th to the 17th centuries. Calpe entered a period of redevelopment during the 18th century, consolidating the town in the 19th century and laying the foundations for its current prosperity as a major attraction for both national and international tourism. In the ancient town center, next to the Moorish quarter (Arrabal) we can see the group of monuments comprising the Torreo de la peça, the Town Walls and the church known as the Iglesia Vieja, the sole surviving example of Mudejar-Gothic architecture in the land of Valencia. Further more there is the Moli Tower and the remains of an ancient Roman which have recently been found, once forming part of the fish factory known as the Queen's Bath (Banys de la Reina).
Discover the Costa Blanca at all times of day, beside the sea or inland, enjoy its beaches and mountains, discover its festivals, art and traditions, get to know the cuisine. You can also play golf or sail along the coast to enjoy the last rays of sun.
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