Castillo de Gallinera

Castillo de Gallinera is a medieval fortress standing over the eastern entrance to La Vall de Gallinera, a valley in the province of Alicante on Spain's eastern coast. Locals more often call it Castillo de Benirrama, after the nearby hamlet at the foot of the hill.

Where exactly is the castle?

The ruins sit on a rocky outcrop next to the Almiserà peak, at 475.6 metres above sea level. From this vantage point the fortress once watched over the entrance to the valley from the coastal plain below — guarding that approach was its core purpose for centuries.

What is the history behind it?

The fortification has roots in the Islamic period of the Iberian Peninsula. It first appears in written records in 1245, when the local Muslim leader al-Azraq signed a treaty with King Jaime I known as the Pouet Convention, under which he kept temporary control of the castle. The arrangement did not last: al-Azraq's forces seized the fortress by force in 1247, only to lose it again to Jaime I's troops on 1 June 1258.

From 1261 onward the king repeatedly handed the castle to different nobles to settle royal debts. A turning point came on 22 June 1322, when Jaime II gave the property to his son, the Infante Pere of Aragón — from that moment the Gallinera valley stopped being crown land and became a feudal lordship tied to the county of Dénia and the dukes of Gandia. The castle only returned to royal patrimony in 1424. A year later it passed to Guillem de Vich, and in 1487 his descendant Miquel Hieroni de Vich sold the entire valley, castle included, to Pere Lluís de Borja for 199,000 sueldos. By then the fortress already stood empty, and the earthquake of 1644 finished it off for good, collapsing what remained of its walls.

What can you actually see there today?

The castle stretches along a northeast-southwest axis for over 150 metres, with a maximum width of 33 metres. At the highest point of the hill, the remains of a rectangular keep and a large courtyard with two water cisterns are still visible. A long battlemented wall, reinforced with six towers, once ringed the entire hilltop, and an arched entrance corridor on the eastern side controlled access — a deliberate defensive design to slow down attackers. The masonry combines opus vitatum and opus incertum techniques typical of fortifications from this period.

When is the best time to visit?

La Vall de Gallinera, the valley the castle overlooks, is best known for the Ruta dels 8 Pobles, a walking route linking the valley's eight small villages: Benirrama, Benialí, Benissivà, Benitaia, La Carroja, Alpatró, Llombai and Benissilí. Early spring is the standout season to come, when cherry trees across the valley blossom between mid-March and early April — a sight the whole Comunitat Valenciana region is known for. These same orchards produce the cherries protected under the Cereza de la Montaña de Alicante designation of origin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the castle easy to reach? Getting there means walking up a hillside path to the ruins, so sturdy footwear is worth planning for.

Can you see the sea from up there? Given its position at the valley's eastern gateway and its original role of watching the coastal plain, the site offers a wide view in that direction.

Has the castle been restored? No — since the 1644 earthquake it has remained in ruins, and what survives today are sections of the walls, towers, keep and cisterns.

Does visiting the castle connect to anything else in the valley? Yes — it lies along the area covered by the Ruta dels 8 Pobles, so a visit pairs naturally with a walk through the valley's villages and cherry orchards.