Logbook · 20 places

Cova Negra

Xàtiva, La Costera, Valencia

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 1 Nature · 3 Activities · 3 Curiosities · 5 Historical milestones · 2 Food and drink

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Cova Negra

Nature · Xàtiva, La Costera, Valencia

The municipal nature site of the Cova Negra lies within the territory of Xàtiva, in a narrow valley formed by the river Albaida as it crosses the Serra Grossa, at the outlet of the Estret de les Aigües. With 57.18 hectares, it was declared a municipal nature site by the Generalitat Valenciana in 2006. In its blackish rock walls opens a Middle Palaeolithic site where remains of Homo neandertalensis have been found, discovered in 1933 by the priest G. Viñes. The surroundings contrast riverside vegetation -reed beds, rushes, poplars and elms along the river- with mountain vegetation, dominated by kermes oak and mastic, and are home to species such as Bonelli's eagle and the ull de perdiu, both in danger of extinction. A path along the river runs through the gorge.

Photo: Juan E. M. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

What to see and do in Xàtiva