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It is stirring to look upon these thousand-year old olive groves and imagine all the history they contain. A thousand years! The Moorish people lived in this region centuries before King Jaume I, “the Conquerer”, arrived with his armies. All the hands that planted these olive trees and maintained them for generation after generation, in the knowledge that only properly sustainable agriculture will keep them healthy and productive.

Our route will take us through the streets of Benimassot, where we can peer over the Balcón de la Serrella and look down on the Calle del Trinquet, where the best players still play highly competive games of Pelota Valenciana, a long popular regional sport enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

We will go on to discover how our ancestors produced their wines and oils as we encounter some of the ethnological remains on our route before finishing with a meal at the "La Ruta" bar in Benimassot to sample some the dishes made using oil still made from those same age-old olive trees.

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itinerary

We will meet up at the Bar "La Ruta" in Benimassot and go straight on to visit the Parque de l'Almàssera for a lesson on how they made olive oil during the last century. We will enjoy the impressive views of the Sierra de Serrella from the balcony (El Balcón de la Serrella) and then visit the Calle Trinquet where they still play games of pelota.

We will walk along rural tracks and pass through almond and olive groves as we learn more about the particular benefits of the various aromatic and culinary plants that most locals in the Valle de Seta know well and use on a daily basis.

We will stop at the old Iberian village and see how they used the still-existing stonepress to make oil and wine.

Lastly, we will arrive at the "Racó de Sam", an impressive centuries-old olive grove, and learn more about the essential characteristics of olive oil along with a tasting session, allowing us a chance to distinguish the particular character of some local varieties.

We will then return to Benimassot to enjoy traditional cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients from small suppliers and taste some of the best of our regional produce.