L’Almàssera VellaCarrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain

+34 966 856 003

Set in a mountain village, inland from Alicante

on Spain’s Costa Blanca, the Almàssera Vella is

a modern arts centre offering accommodation,

retreat facilities, non-residential workshops and

fully inclusive residential and holiday courses in

Creative Writing, Art, Photography and Walking.

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

Its location behind the coastal chain of sierras and between Cabezo d’Or (ancient frontier of the Moorish kingdom of Murcia) and the massif of Puig Campana, give the Relleu Valley a rugged mountainous feel softened by terraces of almond and olive trees. Marisa and I discovered this beautiful landscape in the Seventies. We decided then to one day create an Arts and Literature Centre here.

After five years of hunting for the right property, we discovered the Almàssera Vella hiding behind an abandoned olive mill in a dramatic position opposite the castle mound and with views of Sierra Grana, Sierra Aguilar and Cabezo d’Or.

We started building in 2000, on the first day of the new millennium, and our inaugural writing course, The Poet’s Notebook, was run in May 2002. We now have a regular programme of creative writing days and weekends, as well as week-long, all-inclusive, residential writing courses, mountain walking, photography and painting courses.

The Relleu Valley and our discovery of the Almàssera Vella

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

Opened in 2002, the Almàssera Vella was designed to be both a home and a centre for retreats and residential courses. Your hosts are Marisa Lillo-Verdú, an Alicantina by birth, and Christopher North.

Marisa manages all the accommodation and catering; she specialises in Mediterranean cuisine with a strong emphasis on local dishes. Formerly a surveyor in Buckinghamshire, Christopher is a widely-published, prize-winning poet who has many years of experience running poetry workshops and mentoring on courses, as well as spending a time as Poet in Residence with a local newspaper.

As its name suggests, the main house at the Almàssera Vella was originally a traditional oil press in the mountain village of Relleu. After extensive refurbishment it now boasts relaxed open living areas, which are complemented by an enormous terrace and swimming pool coupled with extensive grounds including olive, almond and citrus groves.

Further accommodation is available in the annexe, a charming three-storey casa rural which offers cottage and self-contained flat accommodation for restful holidays, as well as being a perfect location for comfortable and secluded artist’s and writer’s retreats.

The roots of the ancient village of Relleu stretch far back, interweaving Iberian, Roman and Moorish strands, and the village has a number of interesting historical and traditional sites including the ruins of an 11th century castle, one of the oldest pantanos in Europe and the remarkable cultivation terraces – known locally as bancals – which ascend the sierras to incredible heights. The village has good mobile phone coverage and offers all the basics including a modern pharmacy, an internet café, cashpoint facilities and a number of shops and bars. The nearest sizeable town is Villajoyosa, a half-hour drive away on the coast, and around 20 minutes beyond lie Alicante, with good national bus and train connections, and the airport.

The Almàssera Vella

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

Included in Alistair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay in Spain, the Almàssera offers B&B for visitors passing through the Marina Baja mountains, as well as providing accommodation for participants on the various residential courses and facilities for self-catering holidays and retreats.

Accommodation at the Almàssera

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

Originally a traditional oil press on the edge of the mountain village of Relleu, the main house is arranged over three storeys. Its unassuming but distinctive deep blue façade belies the spectacular views offered from the back of the house – out over the extensive terrace to the property’s olive, almond and citrus groves, and beyond to the village ermita set high up on a mound beside the ruined castle on the outskirts of the village.

From the street, you pass through a wrought iron gate and a heavy wooden door to the great open-plan library and day room that takes up almost the whole of the building’s ground floor. The library boasts over 3,000 books with a special emphasis on poetry. A number of autographed copies of the works of our visiting writers are included in the collection.

The loggia overlooks the terrace and is a perfect place to sit and read or write, or to set up an easel, with the magnificent valley scenery providing an ever-present but changing scene.

Upstairs are four spacious bedrooms, one with ensuite bathroom, one with ensuite shower-room, as well as an additional shower-room. Views are to the rear of the house towards the mountains.

Downstairs, the centre of activity for many of the course sessions, as well as for the fine Mediterranean-style meals cooked in the well-equipped kitchen alongside, is the huge pine refectory table, which seats fourteen people. The old olive-press mechanism with the great cone-shaped grinding stones seen in the Almàssera logo is conserved in situ as a reminder of the history of the building. Alongside is a cosy corner with seating around a log fire.

The dining area gives access to the terrace with its tempting pool, a host of shady spots for relaxation or thought, and steps leading down to the rest of the extensive grounds.

The main house

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

Self-catering facilities are offered in the Almàssera annexe at number 69, just across the street from the main house. There are three double rooms, each with private shower-room, as well as an independent flat.

The flat can be entered via the annexe or through a private entrance. It has two bedrooms (one single, one double) and a shower room. Both the annexe cottage and the flat have a cosy day-room with a log fire and a fully-fitted kitchen.

The ground floor of the cottage includes a small dining area, while upstairs there is a separate study area with balcony overlooking the street.

The annexe

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

The Almàssera grounds lie behind the main house and include the extensive terrace with outdoor dining table, the pool and loungers, and a giant chess set. A wide assortment of plants in pots surround the paved area, and there is also a small garden area with persimmons and an orange tree.

The house is set on the edge of the valley, looking across to the castle mound, and steps lead down to the other levels of the Almàssera grounds which include olive, almond and citrus groves, as well as a vegetable garden which provides fresh produce for the kitchen.

The grounds

Carrer de la Mare de Deu del Miracle 56, Relleu 03578 Alicante, Spain +34 966 856 003

In September 2011 we acquired the small cottage set in an orange grove opposite the Almàssera Vella. Our plan is to convert the cottage into a studio and cottage available for lettings. It will have a large double bedroom with bathroom, a kitchen-dining room and a studio.

The Poet’s House - Casa Catalina