As you walk along, look up past the dense green leaves and tall bushes to spot a sturdy, pale stone tower rising above the treetops. It’s hard to miss-the top of the Tower of Na Valora stands square and strong against the blue sky, flying several colorful flags. The corners of the tower are neatly cut stone, and you’ll see the walls are thick, with a hint of ancient strength still clinging to them.
Now, as you stand at the foot of this medieval guardian, let’s jump back in time. Imagine the year is somewhere around 1270. Alcoy is just a small but determined town clinging to survival. Suddenly, you hear the warning bells -you and the townsfolk glance anxiously at the walls above. Is it another raid, or just one of those goats that keeps escaping?
This Gothic-style tower, the Tower of Na Valora, was built as part of the very first defenses for Alcoy. In fact, it spent a few centuries hiding in plain sight, buried by other buildings until 1987 when construction accidentally revealed its ancient stones. I like to imagine it gave the workers quite a shock-"Hey, boss, I think I found a bit more than a pipe!"
The tower itself is made from a clever mix of packed earth and blocks of beautiful, creamy travertine rock. If you could walk through its walls, you’d notice just how thick they are-over a meter in some spots! It was originally two stories tall, with a perfect pointed arch just tall enough to let the tallest knight ride through without losing his helmet.
Back in its prime, this wasn’t just a lookout. It was a main line of defense, with watchers always peeking out, scanning the countryside for signs of trouble. People living here would have kept their ears open for shouts of alarm and their noses ready for the smell of smoke-because that usually meant business wasn’t going well.
Over the years, the poor tower’s had all sorts of jobs-after its military career, it became part of someone’s house, and the neighbors probably didn’t even realize they had a real slice of the 13th century in between the laundry lines.
Today, the Tower of Na Valora stands tall-one of the chosen “Royal Works of the Conquest,” celebrating the eight-hundredth birthday of King James I. If you close your eyes for a second, you might just hear the muffled footsteps of soldiers in the old alleyways, or maybe that one goat still causing trouble on the wall.
Right here, in the shade of its stones, you’re standing beside centuries of drama, mystery, and the odd bit of medieval comedy. Now, are you ready to march on to our next stop? Just please, don’t try to scale the walls… the tower’s had enough surprises for one lifetime!
