La Vall de Gallinera is a valley and a municipality in north-east
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...
,
Spain, included in the
Marina Alta comarca. It is formed by the nuclei of Benirrama, Benialí, Benissivà, Benitaia, Carroja, Alpatró, Llombai and Benissili. All these settlements constitute a single municipality. The total combined population at the moment is around 600.
History
Like in all other valleys of the interior of Marina Alta, the
Moors occupied the territory for almost six centuries. After the
expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, the Vall de Gallinera became deserted and the
Duke of Gandia, to whom this area was given, brought from
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
150 families to repopulate the valley. As per
Cavanilles: "it is easy still to see the origin of all of them in the accent and dialect of its inhabitants. They are very hard working, all they take advantage of it and they live contentedly in that delicious enclosure." Indeed, in this valley,
Valencian is heavily influenced by
Balearic Catalan.
Economy
The main businesses of the area are the cultivation of cherries, almonds and olives, and rural tourism.
Sources
Ayuntamiento de Vall de Gallinera
Índice estadístico municipal de Vall de Gallinera Unidad de Documentación de la Diputación de Alicante
Portal Interactivo de Vall de Gallinera
Web de Vall de Gallinera
References
Municipalities in the Province of Alicante
Valleys of Spain
Landforms of the Valencian Community
{{Valencia-geo-stub