Have you ever thought about visiting Benigembla in the beautiful Jalón Valley? Then the weekend of 10 and 11 September offers an excellent occasion to do so. Because on those two days craft association Amata organises a lively Arts & Crafts Fair in the Plaza de la Constitución of this little village, that has preserved its authentic atmosphere.
As the village is small, there will be no more than 15 stalls, but each one is offering something different and everything is hand made by the same person that is in the stand. Most of them will even be at work, so you can see with how much skill, love and patience they make each ítem individually. You can even place special orders if you can’t find what you are looking for, because they bring their tools and spare material along. Other artisans give workshops for the kids, and there are table games and some stalls with local delicacies.
But the village has more to offer: it is well known for its murals. Five years ago they started BIMAU (Benichembla Internacional Muestra de Arte Urbano), a project of painting blind walls with colourful murals, adding each year a few more to the collection. So now you can follow (with QR codes) a walk past big butterflies and other animals, portraits of local characters, views of the valley and other surprising pictures.
The Jalón Valley lies in the north of the province of Alicante, about 15 kms. inland from Benissa or Pedreguer. Jalón is well known for its big “rastro” (second hand and antiques market) on the Saturday mornings. Benigembla is only 10 kms further into the valley, so why not combine a visit to the two events on 10 September? The Craft Fair in Benigembla opens that Saturday from 11 am till 9 pm and on Sunday the 11th from 11 am till 7 pm. Both days the stalls stay open at midday. More information, also in English, on 639979678.
