Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Tàrbena

What to see and do in Tàrbena (La Marina Baixa, Alicante): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Nature · 1 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 1 Food and drink

When to go to Tàrbena: festival calendar

August: Patron Saint Festivities of Tárbena (first weekend of August)

How far each place is from the centre of Tàrbena

Towns near Tàrbena

What to see in Bolulla 2.3 km · 8 places
What to see in Callosa d'en Sarrià 5.2 km · 6 places
What to see in Parcent 6.4 km · 3 places
What to see in Benigembla 6.8 km · 2 places
What to see in Murla 7.3 km · 2 places
What to see in Alcalalí 7.9 km · 3 places
What to see in Polop 8.4 km · 9 places
What to see in Castell de Guadalest, el 8.7 km · 6 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Alicante › La Marina Baixa › Tàrbena

What to see and do in Tàrbena

Tàrbena
Village
Tàrbena is a municipality in La Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, set in three mountain valleys enclosed by sierras over 900 metres high; it is the last village in the comarca before crossing, via the Coll de Rates pass, towards the Valle de Pop. Its name comes from the pre-Indo-European root tar-, hill. In 1245, the chieftain al-Azraq signed the Pact of Pouet with the Infante Alfonso of Aragon, declaring himself a vassal of James I and handing over the castles of Pop and Tárbena, although the village took part in the Morisco revolt of 1248-1258. After the Morisco expulsion of 1609, it was repopulated almost entirely by Mallorcan families, a legacy still alive in its surnames, its speech and its cuisine: sobrasada has been made here ever since, as in Mallorca. It has 662 inhabitants.
Castle of Tárbena
Monument
Castle of Muslim origin with Christian alterations, situated on the Cerro Segué de Tàrbena at 700 metres above sea level, dominating the valley and the pass towards Parcent through the Coll de Rates. Most of the surviving elements correspond to the Christian alterations carried out after the conquest. Its strategic position kept it active during episodes such as the revolt of al-Azraq, between 1248 and 1258, and the uprising of Ibrahim, in 1276-1277.
Parish Church of Tárbena
Monument
Parish church of Tàrbena, an 18th-century building declared a Bien de Relevancia Local (a heritage protection figure for locally significant assets in the Comunitat Valenciana) by the Generalitat Valenciana, with great decorative richness in its vaults. The main altar preserves a reredos carved in royal cedar wood by the Hermanos Caballero workshops of Seville in the year 2000.
Coll de Rates
Nature
The Coll de Rates is a mountain pass at 628 metres above sea level, situated between the sierra del Ferrer to the east and the Carrascar de Parcent to the west, which acts as a dividing line between the Alicante districts of the Marina Alta to the north and the Marina Baixa to the south. The CV-715 road runs through it, linking Benidorm with Gandía via Pego, and the municipal boundaries of Parcent, Alcalalí and Tàrbena meet there.
Pact of the Pouet of Tárbena
Curiosity
In 1245 the Pact of Pouet was signed in the area between Al-Azraq and the infante Alfonso; after the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, Tárbena was resettled by colonists from Mallorca.
Patron Saint Festivities of Tárbena
Activity
The patronal festivities of Tàrbena are celebrated on the first weekend of August: on Saturday there is a procession in honour of Saint Barbara, patron saint of the town; on Sunday, of the Saviour; and on Monday, of the Virgin of the Rosary. Saint Barbara is also celebrated on 4 December, and on the Sunday closest to 17 January Saint Anthony Abbot is celebrated with the blessing of animals. On Holy Thursday, at midnight, the townspeople walk through the streets singing the Passion.
Parish Church of Santa Bárbara of Tàrbena
Monument
Parish church in the old town of Tàrbena, notable for its polychrome façade and for housing a magnificent nativity scene. Beside it stand the remains of the former Castell dels Moros, a fortification of Muslim origin.
Majorcan resettlement of Tàrbena
Curiosity
After the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, Tàrbena was resettled almost entirely by families from Mallorca, leaving a distinctive mark on its surnames, its cooking and its speech, with Balearic features found nowhere else in the comarca.
Springs and caves of Tàrbena
Nature
The municipal district of Tàrbena preserves springs such as Sa Font Blanca and Sa Font dels Taronjers, as well as caves such as the Cova del Somo, the Cova de ses Lletres and the Cova del Moret, in a setting of ravines and mountains.
Sobrassada of Tàrbena
Food and drink
The resettlers who came from Mallorca in the seventeenth century brought the sobrasada, which here is still made with minced pork, paprika and salt, stuffed and cured in the cold air of the mountains. It is the product that identifies the town and is sold in its butchers' shops.