We recently had the chance to visit a friend’s childhood home in Enguera, which is a small town nestled in the hills surrounding Xátiva, about an hour south of Valencia city.
The picturesque village is small and home to just over 5000 people, but the township extends to over 240 km2, taking in huge swaths of publicly accessible mountain land.
We visited Enguera on a Sunday, when the temperature was approaching 40°. The streets were empty and slient, apart from the occasional television blaring from inside one of the shuttered buildings. Hiking up and down the village’s steep hills, beginning to feel faint from the heat, it seemed as though we were dreaming, in a ghost town. The disconcerting emptiness ended, though, once we got to the town pool, where all of Enguera was cooling down.
For such a small village, Enguera boasts an extremely impressive church, perched atop a hill, and a rich history. Check out some of photos from Enguera’s past here. And the mountainous surroundings offer hikers a plethora of options for day long walks. There’s plenty to do.
If you have the chance to visit, make sure to eat some Arroz del Horno, a specialty from the area. We were lucky enough to have it cooked by our friend’s mother — a real treat.
It can be difficult to reach Enguera from Valencia via public transportation, so taking a car is the best option. If you can’t drive, check out Enguera’s website for information on trains and buses to and from Valencia.
