Bolbaite

Belonging to the region of The Navarres Canal, the village of Bolbaite It is a hidden treasure in the Valencia inside. Although the area was inhabited since Prehistoric times, the founding of the town was due to the Muslims, who called it Albait ("shelter" or "homestead").

With the expulsion of the Moors, it was left uninhabited, although it was soon repopulated with families from Aragon. To this is due the peculiar dialect which its inhabitants still speak today, a mixture of Spanish, Aragonese and Valencian. But, above all, Bolbaite stands out for its beautiful old town, with important monuments, and for its privileged natural environment. We are going to show you all this.

The castle of Bolbaite

Precisely, the historic center of the town, known as the Rabalet, is made up of narrow streets that connect the church square with the Bolbaite castle. This was built in the XNUMXth century on top of an old Arab fortification from the XNUMXth century and dominates the town from the top of a cliff. Currently, it is in rather poor condition, but its recovery has been planned.

It occupies an area of ​​almost six hundred square meters and in its northern part stand out two towers, one from the Islamic period and another already Christian. Also relevant are remains of the Valencian Flamboyant Gothic from the time of its construction. This can already be seen on the access stairs to the enclosure.

However, if we are talking about stairs, you should also look at the spiral one carved in stone. Likewise, some carved plasterwork as decoration around doors and windows are very beautiful. Since 2002, the castle is A Cultural and an ideal point for you to start your visit to Bolbaite. After seeing it, you can go down through the winding streets with a laundry and various fountains to the church square, the nerve center of the town.

The parish church of San Francisco de Paula

Next to the Town Hall, you will find this beautiful church that was built in the XNUMXth century following the canons of Renaissance architecture. Later, in the XNUMXth century, it was badly damaged by an earthquake and it was rebuilt in neoclassical. However, to its genuinely classicist appearance, it adds some baroque elements. For example, the decoration of the cornice of its portal, which features an image of the patron saint of the villa, Saint Francis of Paola, located in a niche.

More curious is its interior distribution. It has a single nave covered with a barrel vault and front wall. But, above all, its seven lateral domes with vaulted ceilings attract attention. They cover several chapels in which you can see treasures such as images of the Holy Christ of Amparo and, in that of Communion, a beautiful Valencian ceramic plinth from the XNUMXth century. Likewise, in the niche of the presbytery you will see frescoes by Salvador Pallas that represent passages from the life of the aforementioned saint.

The church is attached, through the abbey house, to the building of the Town hallwhich is also very pretty. Its construction date is not entirely clear, but it was used as a school until the middle of the XNUMXth century. Then it was reformed and converted into the Town Hall.

The hermitage of Santa Barbara

At Mount Bolantin, close to the urban area of ​​the town, you have this beautiful hermitage. It is a simple temple dating from the XNUMXth century and rectangular in plan. Except for the ashlars in the corners and the long bench, its walls are white and its roof is gabled. Likewise, its rear part is attached to the so-called hermit's house, more low.

For its part, the main façade is divided into two spaces by means of an impost. The upper one consists of a belfry with a bell tower where you can see a small ceramic mural and an image of the titular saint. As for the lower one, it shows the door with a lintel and adorned with a border. An oculus, two side lanterns and the name of the hermitage, likewise, in tile complete the external decoration.

Inside the temple, whose floor is made of black and white geometric tiles, you can see wall paintings of Jose Antonio Espinar, an altarpiece and, as on the façade, a carving of Santa Barbara inside a niche.

But as beautiful as the hermitage is the environment where it is located. In a set of rich Mediterranean vegetation and Aleppo pines, it also has a restaurant with tables and benches where you can eat. And, above all, it offers you some wonderful views of the valley of La Canal de Navarrés, the Caroig Peak and the plain of Sumacarcel. Even, on clear days, you can see the Valencian coast.

You can reach the hermitage area on foot. And this leads us to talk about the hiking routes that you can do through the beautiful natural environment of Bolbaite, as well as the bathing place in the Sellent river.

Hiking trails around Bolbaite

The long-distance path passes through the municipality GR-332 that connects almost all the towns in the region of La Canal de Navarrés. Specifically, it goes from estubeny to the aforementioned Pico Caroig, crossing towns such as Anna, Chella o Quesa. It has a length of about seventy kilometers and a cumulative drop of almost two thousand five hundred meters.

As is logical, you can do it in stages, although its difficulty is still high due, above all, to the aforementioned variation in height. It also connects with other trails in the area. For example, you can also go up to the eagle peak, which is located just above the school. It is also a fairly uneven route, but the views are magnificent.

There are also magnificent viewpoints in the area of ​​the tobacco dryers. These are six two-story buildings with gabled roofs that were used for this purpose around the middle of the XNUMXth century. Right from them, starts the path that goes to our next important destination: the Sellent recreational area.

the sellent river

This river divides the town into two zones: the Place and the Rock. But, what interests you the most, in its upper part it forms a natural lake that is prepared as a recreational area where you can take a refreshing bath. It is known as L'Assut by the small wall that helps retain water and has tables, benches, as well as toilets. They will charge you a small fee, but it is worth it because the place is very nice and cozy.

Similarly, in other parts of the river you have smaller lagoons called gorget. Right next to the bathing area is one of the largest, the one of Chain, with about a hundred meters. In addition, it has a submerged cave of great speleological interest.

Festivals in the Valencian town

Once we have shown you the main things you can see in this beautiful town in the province of Valencia, we want to talk to you about its festive events, in case you want to visit it when they are held. The patron saint festivities, as we have already mentioned when talking about the parish church, are those of Saint Francis of Paola, which take place just after Easter. In the town there is great devotion to this saint and, along with processions and other events, the Moors and Christians parade takes place.

This event has a great tradition in the Valencian Community and is celebrated in many of its towns and cities. We can tell you the same about the flaws which, curiously, are held a week earlier than in the capital of the province. Also important are santa barbara festivities, also considered the patron saint of Bolbaite. During them, highlights the despertá, which consists of the launching of firecrackers and rockets. Finally, at the beginning of August a cultural week takes place and in January a bonfire is prepared in honor of San Anton.

Gastronomy of Bolbaite

To end our trip to the Levantine town, we are going to take care of its delicious gastronomy, in which the fruit and vegetable products. However, if there is one that stands out, it is because of its olive oil and, above all, for their artisan honeys, which are made with flavors of rosemary, orange blossom and even a thousand flowers.

Among the typical dishes you can not miss, if we talk about Levante, the rice. For example, the one that is prepared with herbs, the broth and the so-called black paella. The latter is made with cuttlefish and its ink, but vegetables such as artichokes are also added. More forceful is the pot with balls, a stew that has chickpeas, pork and beef, carrots, celery and potatoes. But, in addition, the balls are added, a kind of meatballs that are prepared with lean meat, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and pine nuts. Likewise, broth is extracted from this stew to make a soup known as bridal rice.

They are also delicious cazolica in pencas and cakes, which are made with bread dough and different sausages. And, as for the sweet, you have to try the sweet potato pie and almond shortbread. but also the so-called tortillas abiscochás, the peanut nougat or the cristinas.

In conclusion, we have shown you some of the best places you can see in Bolbaite, as well as the most interesting activities to do in this Levantine town. It only remains for us to advise you that, if you travel to it, you also take the opportunity to get to know the capital of the province, the historic Valencia, with its magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and its serranos towers. Dare to travel to this beautiful area of ​​Spain.