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The interior of the province of Alicante hides numerous treasures full of charm whose rural essence enchants any visitor. For this reason, the Federació Alicantina per al Desenvolupament i la Innovació Territorial (FADIT), with the collaboration of the Diputación de Alicante, has promoted the Essències project, a set of 13 guided routes of experiential tourism at the source so that you can learn about and enjoy the history, landscapes, nature, traditional crafts, gastronomy and charm of towns and rural areas such as Aigües, Agost, Balones, Cocentaina, el Camp d’ Elx, La Canyada, La Torre de les Maçanes and Teulada Moraira.

Plans full of life to travel to the essence, connect with the authentic and enjoy the freedom that nature gives us. You will be able to learn about the traditions of the towns, their customs, walk through their corners and talk to the people who have managed to maintain their roots and preserve all that cultural wealth. You will have the opportunity to discover traditional crafts by participating in pottery or white palm workshops, see the process of making artisan products and be seduced by the real flavours through olive oil tastings among ancient olive trees, signature wines and local cuisine.

These are one-day routes, lasting between 2 and 6 hours, none of them present any difficulty and most include tastings and lunches or meals in local bars or restaurants, as well as visits to museums or workshops. All of them can be booked through this website.

Pottery workshops in Agost
Agost combines its proximity to the sea with the rural style of the interior and stands out for its pottery tradition that has been in activity for nearly nine centuries thanks to the generations that have managed to preserve this craft.

On the ‘Route of the Pottery’ you will walk through the historic centre of the town, visit the place where the first potters settled, the Pottery Museum and you will be able to become a potter for a day, creating a beautiful memory of this experience. In addition, you will also have time to try the typical products and sweets to taste the flavours of Agost.

Images and flavours of Aigües
The municipality of Aigües has a landscape worthy of the disconnection and relaxation you need after an intense week of work. In it, you will be able to walk through its picturesque Barrio de la Torre as well as its enormous pine forest, which has various viewpoints to appreciate the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to visiting the 19th century Grand Spa where several members of royalty have been accommodated for centuries. In addition, throughout the walk you will participate in a practical photography workshop led by the renowned photographer Rosa Ripoll.

Likewise, this experience will allow you to enjoy a lunch at the La Bacorera restaurant based on the traditions and customs of Aigües.

Tastings worth their weight in gold in Balones
This town in Alicante offers a multitude of activities to spend a day in the interior of the province. Its height of 663 metres above sea level is essential for enjoying excursions through the Sierra de Serella and admiring its diverse landscape.

On the route of ‘The Millenary Olive Trees’ we will discover unique specimens with more than a thousand years of history, we will be able to taste the oils of the Castell de la Costurera surrounded by this natural treasure and we will discover how our ancestors made oil and wine, as well as visiting the streets of Benimassot, and eating in a local restaurant. The route ‘Mediterranean Trilogy: oil, bread and wine’ will take us to the Millena Millenary Elm, a visit to the oil mill to learn about the oil making process, take part in a tasting of signature wines from Celler de Gurgu that are fermented in clay jars, as the Romans did, and visit the traditional oven of Gorga to enjoy its sweets.

Museums full of tradition and culture in the Camp d’ Elx
Elche has the largest palm grove in Europe, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and around this palm forest a whole culture has developed where the water heritage inherited from the Arabs stands out.

On this route, we will not only discover the traditional irrigation system and the importance it has for the Camp d’Elx, but we will also visit the archaeological site of La Alcudia, the place where the Lady of Elche was found, we will discover the oil production process of the El Tendre oil mill, where we will enjoy a breakfast-tasting with local products such as dates and the Mollar de Elche pomegranate, the only one in the world with a Designation of Origin, and we will also visit the Puçol School Museum, the third UNESCO Heritage Site in Elche, where you can take part in a white palm workshop.

Architectural jewels in Cocentaina
The capital of the Comtat region is one of the most importants architectural and monumental landmarks of the province of Alicante with buildings such as the Palacio Condal (12th-13th century) and its spectacular pictorial jewel of the Sala Dorada or the Monastery of the Clarisas from the 17th century. In addition, this Cocentaina itinerary includes a visit to the Ethnological Museum, where you will observe the traditional system of making wine, flour and oil.

On the ‘Essences of the olive tree’ route, we will discover the aromas of the Sierra de Mariola together with the flavours of the oil from the Catholic Agricultural Cooperative of Cocentaina with more than 75 years of history. The visit includes a breakfast in the winery of the oil mill where we can attend a master class on pairings and different essences of oil and you can also visit the Ethnological Museum and taste local products.

Another of the routes you can take in Cocentaina is the tasting of premium oils at the Almazara de Oli El Comtat where a master olive oil maker will explain the production process and give you a unique sensory experience to distinguish and identify extra virgin olive oils and let yourself be seduced by their flavour, nuances and aromas.

The hidden secrets of La Canyada
La Canyada hides many secrets and all of them will be revealed through the different routes that can be taken in this town.

On the ‘Walking among century-old olive trees’ route we will enjoy these trees in a unique setting and a tasting of the 5 oils sold by Octobris Bio along with the wines from the century-old winery Celler El Pinaret and the artisan sausages of the municipality. They will also take us into the history, secrets and legends surrounding the discovery of the Villena Treasure, a Bronze Age discovery consisting of 59 pieces of gold, silver, iron and amber, which is the most important in Spain and the second in all of Europe. On the treasure route, in addition to all the previous activities, we will also visit one of the oldest wineries and the barrels containing the famous Fondillón, which can be tasted.

We are towns and links in La Torre de les Maçanes
Torremanzanas or La Torre de les Maçanes is a small town in the L’Alacantí region known for its rich gastronomy and history. Therefore, the tourist route of this municipality runs from the local oil mill and the various establishments specialising in artisanal sausages and traditional bakery to the visit of historic buildings such as the parish of Santa Ana, where the oldest clock in the entire Valencian Community resides.

On the ‘We are people’ route we will learn about the wood-fired ovens and the sausages made in a traditional way, as well as a visit to the Oli de La Torre oil mill to learn about the local varieties of olives and participate in an oil tasting. In ‘We are links’, we will delve into local history and its monuments such as the monumental clock of the Parish of Santa Ana, which is the oldest in the Valencian Community that is still in operation, and we will be able to learn the details of its operation or the Casa Alta, an old Almohad tower from the 12th-13th century that gives its name to the municipality. In both cases, you can taste the local cuisine.

Teulada Moraira, territory of muscatel
A destination that has much to offer: coast, vineyards, heritage, culture, gastronomy… The Muscatel of the area is recognized for its aromas and flavor. The terroir, the climate and the proximity of the sea make it unique.

At Finca La Alberca, where the vineyards for making the M de Alejandría wine grow, you will learn the history of this unique variety. After a guided tour of the Finca, in the Riurau of the house you can enjoy a tasting paired with different local products, also from small producers.

One of the smallest projects in the province of Alicante. A unique wine that will surprise you. To make it, the grapes are frozen with the aim of obtaining the maximum splendour of the muscatel and a limited and numbered series is obtained from each vintage.

Routes that link us to identity, that promote the social economy of the rural environment and that allow us to keep our towns alive.