Logbook · 9 places

What to see and do in Aspe

What to see and do in Aspe (El Vinalopó Mitjà, Alicante): 9 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Aspe

Church of Nuestra Señora del Socorro de Aspe 50 m

Towns near Aspe

Spain › Valencian Community › Alicante › El Vinalopó Mitjà › Aspe

What to see and do in Aspe

Aspe
Village
Aspe is a municipality of El Vinalopó Mitjà, in the interior of the province of Alicante, on the banks of the Tarafa River, the main tributary of the Vinalopó, and 22 km from Alicante. Mentioned by Ptolemy as Iaspis, it was in Antiquity a staging post on the Roman Via Augusta; in medieval times it was called Afs in Arabic. Its present-day centre formed on the plain when, in the 13th century, the Andalusi settlement of Aspe el Viejo was abandoned, on a hill by the Tarafa River, of which dwellings, cisterns and a network of narrow streets remain. Its clothing workshops have processed the aledo grape since November, bagged on the vine itself so it arrives intact for the midnight chimes, and its territory holds the Algezares site, with rock formations and old gypsum mines. It has 22,397 inhabitants (INE 2025).
Los Algezares de Aspe
Nature
Natural spot of rock formations and geological ruins in the municipal district of Aspe, within the comarca of El Vinalopó Mitjà.
Festivities of Aspe
Activity
Aspe's patronal festivities honor the Virgen de las Nieves, whose feast day, the 5th of August, is the main day following the pilgrimage that brings the image from its hermitage on the 3rd. Aspe shares this patron saint with Hondón de las Nieves, a former hamlet of Aspe until 1839, and the two villages alternate the main celebration each year.
Church of Nuestra Señora del Socorro de Aspe
Monument
The basilica of Our Lady of Succour rises in Aspe, over the town's former mosque, and from 1602 was dedicated to Saint Mary; in the Carta Puebla (founding charter) of 1611 it already appears under the title of Our Lady of Succour. A Baroque building with a Latin-cross plan and transept, topped by a dome on a drum and pendentives, and with a bell tower covered by a small cupola, it was built in three stages between 1602 and 1737, the year the present-day church was blessed after the dome and tower were raised under the direction of Lorenzo Chapuli. It is declared a Bien de Relevancia Local (a local-level heritage protection designation) and is in the process of being declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection), as are two of its bells, named Cristo and Teresa.
Natural Site of the Aljezares
Nature
A natural area near Aspe with the remains of old gypsum mines, in the comarca of El Vinalopó Mitjà.
Traditional gastronomy of the Vinalopó Mitjà
Curiosity
The traditional cuisine of Vinalopó Mitjà (Alicante) combines dishes such as gachamiga and faseura with a deep-rooted wine-growing culture. The comarca produces wines under the Denominación de Origen Alicante, including moscatel and fondillón, made chiefly in towns such as Monóvar and Pinoso, alongside table-grape varieties bearing the quality distinction Uva de Mesa Embolsada del Vinalopó.
La Jira de Aspe
Activity
A traditional festival in Aspe, one of the most deeply rooted popular celebrations in the municipality.
Aspe el Viejo and the move to the plain
Historical milestone
The Andalusi settlement known as Aspe el Viejo occupied a hill above the river Tarafa and was abandoned in the thirteenth century, when the population came down to the plain to form the present centre. It preserves remains of dwellings, cisterns and the layout of narrow streets.
The aledo grape of the New Year chimes
Food and drink
The aledo variety, of firm grain and thin skin, ripens late and is bagged on the vine itself so as to reach December intact. It is the grape eaten at the chimes of New Year's Eve and it occupies the packing warehouses of the valley from November.