Friday 29th December 2023
Gata de Gorgos
We had decided to visit Denia, but on the way, stopped off at the small town of Gata de Gorgos, to look at the local wares on sale there. The town specialises in wicker/basket work and there are several retailers selling a wide range of such goods.
We did make some small wicker-based purchases, but there were also other producers selling their wares:
Dénia
The city of Denia is a large port with ferry terminals servicing the needs of sailings to the Balearic Islands. There is also a very large marina and an extensive shopping area with many international chains represented.
The main attraction for us, was the Moorish castle, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, which occupies a large craggy rock on the coast, overlooking the harbour and the city itself.
Many of the buildings show a clear Morrish influence, including the tower and blue dome of the Church of the Assumption, alongside the castle and viewed from the outer walls:
In its heyday, the castle had many buildings within the walls. The area between the inner and outer walls is terraced and in many parts, now planted with trees.
On the top of the castle, there are the foundations of a Duke’s residence, some of which has ornate flooring still visible.
From the top, there are spectacular views:
Over the years it has seen many conflicts, resulting in some damage that remains visible to this day:
Considerable restoration work has been completed, as can be seen from the “before” and “after” images, below:
At ground level, there is a tunnel which passes right through the rock under the castle.
"See-u-Later" 