Aspe
Aspe - Costa Blanca - Spain
Aspe Spain - The Costa Blanca inland town of Aspe lies on the CV-847 between Elche and Novelda about 17km from the beaches of the Costa Blanca coastline, and is situated on a tributary of the Vinalopo river. The area around Aspe is predominantly agricultural and is well known for its wine making, the lack of water has been a huge problem through the centuries but irrigation set in place by the Moors during the Arab occupation have enable the region to develop and prosper.
The town itself still has a large percentage of Spanish inhabitants and it has, as yet, been largely unspoilt by the property development that has blighted many of its surrounding towns and villages, although Aspe is currently attracting the interest of property developers and will no doubt become a popular area with foreign investors. Aspe has a population of 18,821 (2006 figures).
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There is some evidence of settlements in the area around Aspe as long ago as the Paleolithic Era (deposits found in the Peñón de la Ofra; Cueva del Rollo) and further evidence during the Neolithic Era (Tabayá, Murón de la Horna), the Iberians named the town 'Aspis' and their settlement was in the area of Castillo del Rio. Next came the Romans who re-named the town 'Laspis' and founded the town in its current location and began to develop agriculture in the area.
More important developments came for Aspe during the Arab occupation (8th to 13th Centuries) when an intricate system of irrigation was put in place to bring water to previosly dry areas of land. The Moors lept control until around 1243 when they were defeated and expelled by Christian forces, and in 1244 under the Treaty of Almizra, Aspe came under control of the Kingdom of Murcia, it changed hands several times over the centuries until finally becoming part of the Kingdom of Valencia.
Aspe today is a pleasant place to walk around, the old town square (Plaza del Ayuntamiento) is the centre of the community and worth visiting are the church and the modernist 'casino', much of the old town centre has now been pedestrianised.
Aspe Article - A visit to Aspe which is easily reached from junction 74 of the E15, will immediately show the contrasts within the town. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the Plaza Mayor with the seventeenth century parish church on one side, the eighteenth century Ayuntamiento on another side and on the third side is the twentieth century and very modern Casino.
There is much more for the visitor to enjoy in this very Spanish town, which has a wealth of shops and restaurants. The new buildings blending effortlessly with the older style Spanish houses, the main road through Aspe is beautifully lined with trees and it soon becomes a very picturesque setting for the keen photographer.
Aspe was created as a village, over seven hundred years ago, in 1296, and following the expulsion of the Moors at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the village was repopulated by Aragonese and Spanish became the major tongue. Today Aspe is an important communications centre and is easily identifiable from any approach road due to the vineyards growing the Aledo bagged grapes which are to be found in many Spanish homes on New Year’s Eve. The grapes have achieved national status and are labelled as such being clearly marked that they were grown in the Vinalopa area of Spain.
The old town centre, the Plaza Mayor, has recently been converted to a pedestrian area and provides a very pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by.
The Parish Church in the Plaza Mayor is dedicated to Nuestra Senora del Socorro and although building was started in the seventeenth century the church was not completed until early in the eighteenth century and it is extremely beautiful both from the architectural view point and from the icons and statues inside the church, visitors should bear in mind that it is not always possible to enter the church during the afternoon siesta hours.
The casino provides a slightly more unusual form of relaxation than the usual water sports which are offered in the coastal towns of the Costa Blanca, but in any event it is worth a peep inside to see the contrast with the church on the adjacent side of the square. Also of interest is the Teatro Wagner which was built in 1922 and after enjoying a period of popularity was closed for some time. It re-opened in 1995 and now provides theatre goers with a wide programme of entertainment and is once again a well used venue.
Aspe with a population of around 18,000 people is certainly not a tourist town and the main economy is supported by the growing of grapes and is famous for the production of wine. However, the visitor is greeted by a very friendly population including a few non nationals who have made this delightful town their home. Certainly there are no urbanisations or signs of massive construction work in the close proximity to the town which is just North West of Elche. Aspe is one of nine towns and villages which make up what is known as The Island of the Interior, and the towns work in harmony with each other and they share information on the towns in that region.
Of course, it seems that no Spanish town is complete without its football team and Aspe is no exception to the rule and a wonderful Campo de Futbol is provided not only for the team training but also for the younger players. A new municipal swimming pool is in the process of being built during the winter months and there is a general bustle within the town, with roads and buildings being cleaned and improved, showing the development and strength of Aspe is clearly on the rise.
This interesting article on the Costa Blanca town of Aspe was provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper one of the best local newspapers in the Costa Blanca region.
Places to visit near to Aspe include - Monovar, Elche (the city of palms), Crevillente (of carpet fame), Elda (shoemaking), Hondón de los Nieves, Pinoso, Monforte del Cid and Alicante
Aspe airport driving distances: Alicante airport to Aspe is a driving distance of 33 kilometres (20 miles), Murcia (San Javier) airport to Aspe is a driving distance of 83 kilometres (52 miles).Aspe Links: Aspe Map - Aspe Weather
Nearby Places: Elda - Pinoso - Crevillente - Monforte del Cid - Monovar
Golf Courses: Villamartin - Lo Romera - Las Ramblas - Campoamor Golf - La Finca - La Marquesa - Spain Golf Courses
Related: Torrevieja - Alicante - Valencia - Murcia - Orihuela - Orihuela Costa - Ciudad Quesada - Alicante Airport Transfers - Builders
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