Novelda

Novelda, an inland city in Alicante, is one of the most surprising and artistically rich stops on the Southeastern Way. Despite its surroundings being that of the arid Vinalopó valley, the town boasts a unique architectural treasure: Modernism. For pilgrims, a visit to Santa María Magdalena Sanctuary is unforgettable. This work by engineer José Sala Sala, a disciple of Gaudí, looks like it was plucked straight from a fairy tale and is an exceptional example of early 20th-century religious architecture. Alongside it, the castle of La Mola offers views of the valley. The town's center also preserves the Modernist House-Museum, a bourgeois home that transports visitors back to the era of azafrán and marble trade prosperity. For the Camino de Santiago walker, Novelda is an unexpected haven for art and culture, a place to marvel at a current artistic trend not typical on Jacobean routes. With good services, it's a stop that enriches the pilgrimage through Alicante territories immensely.