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Xativa  A close proximity to this town was one of our briefs when we bought our villa here. This beautiful 12th century town is only 15 mins from the villa The wealth of culture can be felt in every corner of Xàtiva - it is the one town on the Costa Blanca from which you only need turn a street corner to come across yet another work of art or historic monument it even boasts as home of Spain ‘s only 2 Popes
It is the town of a thousand springs. A jewel of the Costa Blanca, a place where the Iberians minted their first coins and from where the Moors introduced paper to the rest of Europe. This sophisticated town is the perfect for those looking for designer shops or those wanting to discover some of the culture and history of the Romans, the Carthaginian sand the infamous Hannibal This area is just soaked in history. A skull of a Neanderthal man was discovered in the nearby Cova Negra, the black cave, which is coined as the most important settlements from the Mousterian period. . Most people are drawn to this area because of its magnificent castle El Castell.
You can park near the entrance to the castle or take the ‘train’ that leaves from the tourist office. If your feeling fit you can also walk up.
The castle has been renovated and protected and is one of the area’s best surviving castles. Although the peak, on which the castle stands, was originally fortified by the Iberians and Romans, it is the Moorish and Gothic influences that remain. The King of Mallorca, Jaime of Aragon, Gandia and Arenos and Diego de Borja, brother of Francisco de Borja are just some of the famous names who have been held prisoner in the castle’s prison cells
Even more overwhelming is the Torre Redona Vora la Torre De Santa Fe, the round tower situated on the highest part from which there are beautiful views of the city below and the land beyond. Then therewas the attack of the Franco-Castilian troops in 1707 who sent the city up in flames. This led to the reconstruction and renaming of the town in 1708 - it was known as the Nueva Colonia de San Felipe and the inhabitants called socarrats (the scorched) by the Valencian people until 1812.
Although the castle dominates the town there is much more to discover about Xàtiva The restaurants are excellent and cheap, You can eat a 3 course lunch “menu del dia” for as little as € 8 inc an alcoholic drink and coffee the streets clean and tree-lined, the people friendly. If you are staying at the villa we are sure that Xativa. will have something for the whole family 
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