The Safor is the fertile coastal strip around Gandia, and behind it rise abrupt limestone hills, the Serra de la Safor and its neighbours, where the orange groves give way to pine, scrub and terraces of olives and almonds. Racó del Pou, a sheltered corner in these hills between Villalonga and the Vall d'Ebo, is one of the many rock shelters of the region that hold prehistoric paintings, part of the Mediterranean rock art group listed by UNESCO. Like most of them, it is modest and protected, but the walk up and the view over the hills to the sea are reason enough to come.
Villalonga, the nearest town, lies at the foot of the mountains on the river Serpis, and it marks the end of the Via Verde del Serpis, a former railway line converted into a path for walkers and cyclists, which runs up the river gorge towards Alcoi through tunnels and over bridges. The gorge, with its rushing water, cliffs and the ruins of medieval castles perched on the rocks, is beautiful, and the old line was built in the nineteenth century to carry coal from the port of Gandia to the textile mills of Alcoi. The Serpis gorge is also home to otters, kingfishers and other wildlife.
Gandia, on the coast, was the home of the Borgia family, who rose to become dukes and popes, and their palace, the Palau Ducal, is open to visitors. Saint Francis Borgia, a duke who gave up his title to become a Jesuit, was born there. The coastal plain is covered in orange groves, and in spring the scent of orange blossom fills the air, a sweet, heady perfume that is one of the great sensory experiences of the Valencian coast.
The roads into the hills from Villalonga are narrow, steep and winding, with tight bends, few barriers and fine views. They are quiet, apart from cyclists, who come in large numbers in winter to train on the climbs, and the occasional tractor. Villalonga, a town of about four thousand people, has basic services, and Pego and Gandia have fuel and everything else. The local food includes fideuà, a dish similar to paella but made with short noodles, invented, according to tradition, by a ship's cook in Gandia. Summers are hot, winters are mild, and spring and autumn are perfect for riding.