Ontinyent
Located to the north-west of Alcoy and Cocentaina, Ontinyent (in Valencian, Onteniente in Spanish) is a municipality in the comarca of Vall d'Albaida in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is situated on the right bank of the Clariano or Ontinyent, a sub-tributary of the Júcar, and on the Xàtiva–Villena railway.
With its population of 36,368 (2006), Ontinyent has two distinct areas, the old (formerly walled) town and the modern industrial suburbs. The old town ‘La Vila’ still retains much of its old world charm, with narrow winding streets lined with ancient houses.
Ontinyent grew around the textile industry, which has been its main source of income since the Middle Ages, the industry developed due to the abundance of water which propelled the numerous water mills still found in the area. Other industries in Ontinyent include furniture, earthenware, paper, brandy and wine, there has been a rapid increase in population over the last 50 years and almost half of it is employed in the various textiles industries.
As with many Spanish towns, the most important fiesta in Ontinyent is the spectacular Moors and Christians festival which is held in August, other significant festivals include the fiesta of Sant Antoni (January), the Fallas (March), the Fira (November) and the Purisma (December).
Places of interest to visit in Ontinyent include the aforementioned church of Santa Maria, originally from the 13th century, the Plaza Mayor (Town Square), where you will find many old buildings including the old town hall, the Casa del Consell, dating from the 16th century, the Almodi (16th century), the Comtes de Torrefeil Palace (15th -17th centuries) and Els Porxets (the Porticoes) from the 16th century.
Ontinyent is within the district of Vall d’Albaida in the province of Valencia and is situated on the CV-81, north-west of Cocentaina, it is located centrally between Alicante and Valencia and is about 85 kilometres from both cities.
Trains and buses run from and to the local towns in the area, but giving the option of going further a field to Valencia City. Museums, departments stores, and city life are short journey away. With the recently built CV60 road the blue flag beaches at Gandia are only 45 minutes drive away. Both Alicante and Valencia airports are 1 hour drive away also.
Ontinyent enjoys a fine Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine and low rainfall, the town generally experiences long hot summers and mild winters, most of the rain which does fall occurs during the winter months.
Ontinyent is a town with everything you need in amenities but small enough to be a community. The town centre has many schools, doctors, hospital, banks, shops, pharmacies, bars and restaurants. Every Monday the town is alive with the indoor and outdoor markets. Hosting many stalls it is a must to get your fresh produce and meet the locals. Travelling around the market stalls in the Plaza de la Coronació you will find handbags, shoes, clothes and plants as well as many other interesting items. Plus, of course the food stalls with fresh date bread and churros.
A new shopping mall, El Teler, has recently opened in Dos de Maig, boasting many designer retail outlets for clothing and home wares, a hairdressers, café, multi screen cinema and SuperCor (El Corte Ingles) supermarket.
The commercial area of town contains McDonalds, Eroski, Aldi as well as several large retail shops and DIY traders.
There are many communal parks and plazas around the town, with one of the main ones being Plaza Mestre Ferrero. Here children of all ages can play, while the older generations can enjoy the refreshments of one of the nearby ice cream or tapas bars.
The large sports facilities available at the local centre include an Olympic sized outdoor pool, an indoor heated pool, athletics tracks, racquetball and tennis courts. The centre also hosts various concerts through the year.
There is a real sense of community spirit in Ontinyent, this is apparent quite clearly during the many fiestas celebrated throughout the year. The main Moors and Christians fiesta in August is an extravagant and exciting affair thoroughly enjoyed by all. During these many festivities, we can see the true Spanish spirit of living life to the fullest.
The municipality of Ontinyent borders the following locations: Agullent , Ayelo of Malferit , Bocairente , Fontanares , Mogente and Vallada , all from the province of Valencia , and Alfafara and Bañeres of the province of Alicante.
