Bocairent Information page

Due to the pine or beehive shape of the town, the Moslems named Bocairent 'Bekiren'. Looking down on the town from the road, the houses appear to emerge from on top of each other, bundling up until reaching the hill summit, where the church of the Virgin of the Ascension is fixed like a lance.

For centuries, Bocairent has stood facing the Sierra Mariola, renowned for its aromatic and medicinal herbs. It is situated in the 'Vall d'Albaida', in the southernmost part of the province of Valencia. This steep valley is between the 'Sierra de Agullent´ and the ´Sierra Mariola´, a large part of the town (97 Km2) being mountainous. Two rivers are born in Bocairent,, each taking different courses: The Vinalopo running southwards until Santa Pola and the Clariano passing Ontiyent and leading into the river Albaida.
Bocairent is at 660 m of altitude: the mountains surrounding ranging between the 730 m of 'L'Alt del Santo Cristo' and the 956 m of L'Alt de Sant Jaume and the 1100 m of 'Torreta of Mariola´. The narrow width of the valley, between 3and 4 km, the bordering steep slopes of the mountain ranges and the abundant vegetation give Bocairent a particular beauty.

The climate is continental Mediterranean. The average annual temperature ranges between 12 and 14 C: the average in January being between 4 and 8 C and in August between 21 and 24 C. Rainfall, ice and dew are abundant on the northern side, and winter snow is sporadic.

The Sierra Mariola, universally known for its richness and variety in aromatic and medicinal plants is without doubt one of the most beautiful landscapes of Valencia. In 1916 Lopez Chavarri described it as the place where "The young picked their tokens of love, the ill recovered their spirit for life and scholars turned into poets".

Amongst its varied vegetation we find different species such as kern oaks, pine trees or yews and amongst its aromatic plants juniper, sage and lavender, rosemary, thyme and chamomile. There is also a large variety of animals; amongst the most common birds the robin, the raven, the falcon, the eagle and amongst the mammals the hedgehog, wild cat, fox, hare and rabbit.