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This
agricultural community just a stone´s throw away from Archena
and Ulea is principally a fruit-growing area. Settled by the Romans
in the 4thC BC, the character of the present town was moulded
under Arab rule and finally converted to Christianity after the
fall of Granada in 1492.
The Morisco element
in the population inevitably followed the fate of their kin in
the rest of the Ricote valley Places of note are the church in
the Plaza Mayor, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra
Señora de la Asunción), patroness of the town. It was built during
the 19th century, following a neoclassical style by Juan de Villanueva.
The Statue of the
Sacred Heart atop the mountain affords fine views of the valley,
and there is also El Golgo, a former electricity generator now
used for fishing and summer bathing.
Villanueva's charm
owes much to the aromas of the valley perfuming its streets and
the refreshing waters of its summer baths, all another part of
the charm of the Ricote valley
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