Pego Spain
Guide to Pego, a town on the Costa Blanca, Spain.
Guide to Pego - Costa Blanca - Spain
Lying just inland from the northern Costa Blanca resort of Denia, the quaint Spanish town of Pego sits in a depression, surrounded by mountains. A part of the Marina Alta region of Alicante, Pego has a population of 10,721 (2006) and a history going back to the Arab occupation.
Doubtless the area around Pego was settled during the Bronze Age and later by Iberian and Roman civilizations, though the story of the town really begins during the times of the Moors in around 726, when Pego was an important Arab enclave which later formed part of the Taifa of Denia. Subsequently conquered by forces under Jaime I of Aragon in 1244, Pego was later repopulated with peasants from Catalonia and the barony of Pego was created in 1262, and control of the town passed through the hands of various members of the Valencian nobility.
During the late 13th century the wetlands between Pego and Oliva were developed for the production of rice, fishing and grazing, rice in particular became an important source of income, though later rice production in the wetlands was banned by Martin I (1403) and attempts were made to regulate the cultivation of the wetlands. The final expulsion of remaining moriscos (Moors converted to Christianity) occurred in 1609 and Pego became virtually deserted for some time.
In the late 18th century certain areas of the wetlands were further developed, beginning with the formation of drainage ditches in the outer sections, though rice production did not return until 1805 when a Royal Order allowed the crop to be grown once more, significant areas were transformed between 1820 and 1840 though much of the wetlands remained untouched. The cultivation of rice continued to increase and by 1901 382 hectares were dedicated to rice production, this reached a high of 900 hectares in 1945.
During Moorish times Pego was of course a walled town, with the obligatory castle, after the reconquest these fortifications were extended and had in all 16 towers, most of this was destroyed during the War of Spanish Succession (1701-14). There are still some remains of the wall, these can be found in the Old Town where the medieval streets still retain much of their original charm.
Worth visiting in Pego are the Arciprestal Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (16th century) built in the Renaissance style, built on the ruins of an earlier church, the Chapel of Ecce Homo (18th century) in the Baroque style and designed by the Valencian architect Fray Francisco Cabezas, the Church of the Sagrada Familia, the hermitage of San Jose (19th century), the hermitage of San Miguel (17th century), the Castillo de Ambra (Castle Ambra) thought to originate from the early 13th century and the Parque Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Oliva (Natural Park of the Peg-Oliva Marshes).
Pego celebrates a number of fiestas and festivals throughout the year and these include the Moors and Christians (late June), Porrat de Sant Antoni del Porquet (January) and the Pinyata (burial of the sardine).
Some typical local dishes include coconut shrimp with rice crust, rice with beans and turnips and paella with eel and duck.
Pego is situated on the CV-715 just inland from Denia and Oliva.
Villages surrounding Pego include Adsubia, Forna, Tormos and Sagra.
Pego Weather - Pego enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild pleasant winters.
Pego Links: Pego Map
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Nearby Places: Benidorm - Denia - Moraira - Calpe - Gandia - Oliva - Javea - Teulada - Benissa - Cumbre del Sol - Gata de Gorgos - Els Poblets - Xativa
Attractions: Gallinera Valley - Penon de Ifach - Algar Waterfalls - Caves of Canelobre - Fuentes de Algar
Golf Courses: Oliva Nova Golf - Ifach Golf Club - Real Faula Golf - Spain Golf
Related: Alicante - Murcia - Valencia - Alicante Weather - Alicante Transfers - Builders
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