Sella

The village of Sella is located on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Aitana (1,558 m.), at the foot of the first rock face of this mountain range, the Peña de Sella (1,100 m.). The unique layout of this village is determined by the crown, halfway up the slope of the limestone wall of Aitana, of the valley formed by the waters of the Sella and Amadorio rivers until they reach the sea. It is a place that exemplifies in every way the basic characteristics of a Mediterranean village, linked both to a characteristic climate that defines us and to the succession of cultures that have left their mark on the human and natural heritage of this village throughout its millenary history.

However, the overwhelming landscape that has shaped this multi-secular human activity in a confined and complicated environment is the living image of a difficult past, in which the progressive modernisation of agriculture forced many people to emigrate. In fact, the survival of this village today is largely due to the presence of a prosperous coastline, which has strengthened the links between the coast and the immediate mountainous hinterland.

The Amadorio basin, which collects the waters from the slopes of the ravines parallel to the coast, has played a fundamental role in this process throughout history, being one of the few openings perpendicular to the sea that have allowed transport, trade and cultural relations in general to access the mountains and inland towns such as Alcoy and Cocentaina. This historic backbone is only 19 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, in the town of Sella, the southern gateway to the Sierra de Aitana.