Banyeres de Mariola

Banyeres de Mariola is a settlement and a municipality in the north of the province of Alicante, 860 metres above sea level, with a population of 7,500. The main employer is the local textile industry. The town has a Moorish castle that dates from 1214, and is surrounded by mountains, almond and olive trees.From the 22 to the 25 April each year the town celebrates the Moros i Cristians festival, commemorating the 13th century defeat by the Christians of the occupying Moorish rulers. It is a festival of pageantry, costume, and pyrotechnics.