A municipality of Alicante has become known as the “Real Spain”, the home of fine wines and the site for many fine vineyards. Aspe, an inland town of the province of Alicante, is just a 20 minute travel from the Alicante International Airport and under an hour from the party city of Benidorm. As a guest, would you go to a small and tranquil town minus the beaches and fun fare? This place is for people seeking peace and quiet, a place untouched by rapid urbanization.
Aspe’s History
The town’s history disclosed the presence of settlements in the area as early as the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. Iberians came and called the place “Aspis” which years later upon settlement of the Romans called the idyllic place “Laspis”. The Romans founded this town and developed its agricultural potential.
From the 8th to the 13th century, the Arabs settled in most of Alicante , not sparing Aspe. And when the Christians defeated the Arabs and regained control of Aspe, this was placed under the Kingdom of Murcia. Over the centuries, different settlers came until it became a constituent of the Kingdom of Valencia, which up to now – it is a Valencian community. This inland town of Alicante is situated in the valley of the Vinalopo River.
Aspe’s Culture
Most of the current inhabitants of Aspe are Spaniards and the recorded 18,000 (more or less) of inhabitants are continuously rising significantly. The people are peace loving and they enjoy the tranquility of the place. Just like any Spanish town, Aspe shows spirit of religiosity, made evident in their fiesta celebrations. Just like any locality in Alicante, Aspe’s biggest festival is the Moors and Christians feast.
People dress in colorful Moorish and Christian costumes parade all over the town and re-enact the legendary victory of the Christians over the Arabs. Another festival celebrated in Aspe is the feast of the “Madonna of Snow” (Nuestra Senora dela Nieve). And Aspe is not devoid of sports activities because like other towns, it holds football games and competitions. Aspe is naturally Spanish despite the settlement of other Europeans. What is noticeable among the people of Aspe is the retention of sense of community negating the influence of tourism and growing industrial development.
Aspe’s economy
Contrary to its neighbor, Aspe is under-developed, not much of industrialization. Although there are hotels in the town, construction of villas and chalets for residential and rental accommodations is more predominant. Although Aspe forms part of the Alicante tourism industry, tourism in this part of Alicante is not as extensive as those in the coastline-situated towns.
Aspe remains agricultural, with its vineyards and winery. The economy is based on textile and footwear industries. To form part of the revenues are locally farmed fruits and vegetables which are often sold daily in the center of the town.
Aspe, though a simple and quiet town, is expected to follow the band wagon of tourism in this side of Spain. This is inevitable because foreign investors are also eyeing Aspe as a prospective site of development.