Cova de les Finestres

Useful Information

Location:	03838 Alfafara. A-7 freeway exit 418 Ontinyent sud, CV-81 towards 11.6 km, turn left CV-700 2.7 km, turn left 2.6 km, turn left to Ermita de Sant Antoni, 1 km to Lavadero Font de Carbonell. 1 km walk downhill into the barranco. (38.794050, -0.565170)
Open:	no restrictions. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Cellar
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cova de les Finestres, Torrater, Alfafara, la Vall d'Albaida, Alicante, Valencian Community, 46870, Tel: +34-965-510-08.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The Cova de les Finestres are cave houses located in the cliff of the Barranc del Pont Trencat, in the municipality of Alfafara. The cave openings look like windows in the wall, hence the name They were dug into the limestone, creating 12 caves of different shape and size. Some of them seem unfinished. All caves are in the cliff face, the lowest 4 m above ground, the highest 10 m. There is a wooden staircase which allows visitors to enter the lowest entrance and visit some connected caves.

The caves are located around a natural shelter, more like an overhanging rock, which contained remains from the Bronze Age, around 1,500 BC. The artificial caves were created during the Islamic occupation, most likely as granaries, simple warehouses for grain and other goods. Nevertheless, this is only a theory and the origin has not been definitively clarified. Especially as the internal structure is rather complicated, with connections between the different caves both on the same level and with the upper level.