Hotels in Relleu

Relleu

Relleu is a municipality of about 1,400 people in the interior of the province of Alicante, in the Marina Baja comarca. It sits in the middle of a valley ringed by mountains: the Cabezón de Oro at 1,209 metres, the Sierra de la Grana at 1,112 metres and the Sierra del Aguilar at 889 metres. Its name, which means relief in Valencian, comes from this rugged terrain. The town is of Muslim origin, and its people raised the Castle of Relleu, now protected as a site of cultural interest. After the conquest by James I of Aragon it passed to Bernardo de Sarriá. The steep, narrow streets of the old town keep their layout, with the Plaza del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús at their heart. The fortified house of La Garrofera and the towers of Casa Balde and La Vallonga are protected too, and the parish Church of Santiago Apóstol was rebuilt by 1931. Almonds and olives are still grown, though services now carry the local economy. After falling from 3,342 people in 1900 to 717 in 2000, the town has grown again as a destination for inland tourism. The best way in is from Villajoyosa, by the CV-770 road between Sella and Orxeta.