Muro de Alcoy and Cocentaina sit side by side in the valley of the Serpis river, in the Comtat, a district of northern Alicante surrounded by mountains. Cocentaina is crowned by a castle with a tall tower, and below it lies an old town with a palace of the Counts of Cocentaina and a Franciscan convent. The Abric de la Paella, named after the paella pan perhaps because of its shape, lies in the hills between the two towns.
The Comtat is one of the richest areas in Spain for prehistoric art. The mountains around the valley hold dozens of painted shelters, with Levantine, schematic and Macro-schematic paintings. The Macro-schematic style, with its large symbolic figures, was first identified in this area and is found almost nowhere else, which makes the sites of the Comtat particularly important. The Abric de la Paella is one of these, protected and best visited with a guide; the Museu d'Alcoi and the local councils organise visits to some shelters.
Cocentaina is known for its All Saints Fair, the Fira de Tots Sants, held every year around the beginning of November and dating back to a royal charter of 1346. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and fills the town with stalls, livestock and food. Like Alcoy, Cocentaina also holds a Moors and Christians festival, with parades and costumes.
The riding around Muro and Cocentaina is excellent. The roads that climb from the valley toward the Vall de Gallinera, the Vall d'Alcalà, the Vall de Seta or over the Benicadell to the Vall d'Albaida are narrow and twisty, through orchards and pine forest, with little traffic. The road from Cocentaina toward Alcoy follows the valley and is busier. Watch out for gravel, agricultural vehicles and cyclists on the mountain roads.
Muro de Alcoy, about two kilometres away, and Cocentaina have fuel and all services. Local cuisine includes rice dishes with rabbit and snails, the Alcoy-style stuffed olives, and pastries filled with sweet potato or almond. Spring, with almond and cherry blossom, and autumn are the best times to ride here.