The town of Moixent, or (Mogente), Valencia.

Mogente (or Moixent in Valenciano) is a small town in the Valencian Community.

On a recent trip I had to Valencia in January 2009, I was driving back towards Pinoso, using the A35 Motorway.

I was returning a little earlier than I expected and decided that my wife and I should explore one of the little towns that are signposted off the motorway, one of those towns that you would not normally bother to stop and look around. I chose Moixent, because it had a tourist sign on the motorway indicating a monument. I hoped that it would be an interesting monument to go and look at.

After exiting the motorway, you drive into the town crossing over a river, Rio Canoles, and follow signs to the ‘centro urbano’

Unfortunately, I picked a market day, (it was a Thursday) and that’s why there was a lot of traffic around. It was also a very windy day, it was around 2pm and the market traders were packing up their stalls. There was nowhere at all to park in the town centre, so off I drove up a side road, pointing to an embalse.

I parked the car and decided to have a stroll around the narrow streets and found the Ayuntamiento. I was directed to an upstairs office where I asked for a map of the town and any tourist information leaflets. I don’t think they have too many foreign visitors, as the girl had to dust off the ‘callejero’ but she did explain the best things to see.

First of all, I had a walk around the rear of the Ayuntamiento up some very narrow cobbled streets, very quaint, with the usual very old houses on either side. I came out into the square where stands the Iglesia San Pedro, topped with the typical dome of blue glazed tiles. The original church that stood there dates back to 1735 to 1768, but the current building dates back to1880 to 1889 when it was rebuilt.

After having a quick windswept look around the centre of the town only, I drove along a road, (which if I continued would wind its way to Ontinyent) for about 2 miles to find the Embalse Del Bosquet. You would not expect to find a lake here, but it is a very picturesque area. There is woodland all around, plenty of space to have walks and it is certainly a perfect place to go for a picnic.

After eating our picnic, we returned towards the town on the same road, and just before entering the centre again, I stopped to look at the Castillo and Torre dels Coloms.

 El Castillo and Torre dels Coloms are the ruins of a Castle and a Tower that were built high up on the hillside of the town.They command views of the surrounding area and were built as defences for the town.The tower is unusual as it was built outside of the castle.These sorts of towers were only built in Spain and Portugal and were built in the 13th century.The tower would have had a ground floor, first floor and one upstairs.Just on the outskirts of the town, there are steps that take you up to this tower.I decided to climb to the top of the tower. It was very strenuous work and definitely not for the faint hearted. People with any kind of disability would not be able to climb these steps.There are other places to visit such as the Municipal Museum, the area of Bastida de les Alcusses – prehistoric excavation site, La Solana, another picnic and recreational area, and there are some Senderismo’s – walking trails.

Because it was such a windy day and not very pleasant for exploring, I shall definitely visit this town again.

So, next time you are travelling along the motorways, stop off and explore some of these nice little towns, you never know what you may find!

There is a website for this town: www.moixent.es in Spanish