Alpera

Start Outside the Village

If you are coming to Alpera, begin a few kilometres out. The Cueva de la Vieja lies roughly three kilometres away, on the road towards El Bonillo. There is a small parking area by the access point. If you pass the water tank, you have gone too far.

By the keeper’s house there is an old notebook where visitors leave their names. Many write the same word: “impresionante”. Others look at the paintings, shrug, and leave. Rock art can have that effect. This is not a vast cavern or a ceiling crowded with bison. It is something else: a rock face with human and animal figures painted thousands of years ago, from a time when the surroundings were open countryside and silence.

Inside the Cueva de la Vieja

Visits are usually guided. A helmet and torch are provided. Inside, the temperature barely changes throughout the year, which is welcome in summer.

The paintings cover a broad section of wall. There are scenes of hunting and herding. The figures are small, done in a reddish pigment. You do not need specialist knowledge to grasp the basics: people in motion, animals, bows drawn tight.

The story of how the cave was found is told on site. A local man came across the paintings while hunting in the early twentieth century. For a while he kept it to himself. Then word began to spread. Today the cave is protected and access is quite carefully controlled.

Up into Alpera

After the cave, it is time to head back to Alpera. The village sits on a hill and it shows. The streets climb directly upwards.

The sensible option is to leave the car below and walk up. In five or ten minutes you reach the upper part. In summer, earlier in the day or later in the afternoon is better. At midday the sun is strong.

At the centre stands the church of Santa Marina. It is large for a place of this size. Various alterations over time have left a mix of styles. Inside there is a relic of the Vera Cruz, the “True Cross”, which locals bring out during certain religious celebrations. The rest of the time it remains in a display case.

The Castle Hill and the Snow Wells

Above the church are the remains of the castle of San Gregorio. Do not expect complete towers or long stretches of wall. There are scattered sections and little more. Even so, the climb is worth it for the view.

From here the plain around Almansa opens out. Wide fields, long plots, vineyards and cereal crops depending on the season. When the wind rises, you hear it before you see it.

On the way down along a path, the old snow wells appear. These are circular stone structures where packed snow was stored to keep it for months. It was the way to have ice when there was no other option. Today they remain as low ruins among the vegetation. Some are better preserved than others.

Vines and Open Land

Wine is part of everyday life here. There are many hectares of vineyards around the village and a cooperative that handles a large share of the production. The most common variety is garnacha tintorera, very dark and with a strong character.

If the subject interests you, wine from the area can be bought in the village itself without much ceremony. This is not a place set up for wine tourism in the formal sense. It is more a matter of straightforward purchase.

Before You Come

Alpera is small. On a calm morning you can see almost everything.

The cave is the visit that justifies the detour. The castle and a walk around the hill round out the stop. The rest is village life: steep streets, people who know each other, and a steady pace.

Arrive early, park below and walk up. Bring water if it is hot. There is not much more to it. If you are looking for a lively atmosphere or a large historic centre, it makes more sense to continue towards Almansa. Here, things move more slowly, and there is little sign of any rush to change that.