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July 14 to 18 Hop Week in Caravaca de la Cruz
VIsits to hop fields, a gourmet dinner and a street party in Caravaca in celebration of the locally grown hops
Hops, as many among us know only too well, are a crucial ingredient in the brewing of beer, and in the Region of Murcia the most important local brewery, Estrella Levante (located in the northern outskirts of the regional capital) grows many of its hops in the north-west, particularly in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz.
In fact, along with the province of León in the north, Caravaca is one of the very few areas of Spain in which hops are grown on a significant scale.
In celebration of the abundance of this natural ingredient, a Hope Week is being held in the city of Caravaca from 14th to 18th July, with the events scheduled including the following:
Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th July – visits to the hop fields closest to the city, setting out by coach from the Plaza Paco Pim at 19.30. Once at the destination, the viewing of the fields is accompanied by a small snack (no prizes for guessing the drinks provided).
Cost 5 euros, bookings online here.
Thursday 17th July – a special dinner in a local hop field under the title of "Olas de Pangea" with a menú created by Cayetano Gómez of Grupo Casa Tomás, the kitchen of Fornet, beer provided by Estrella de Levante and wines bearing the DOP Jumilla label, and cocktails by de Bendita Café & Sueños. The exact location has not yet been revealed but places can be booked for 60 euros online here.
Friday 18th July – A party in the Plaza de San Juan at 20.00, including music, an arts and craft market, an Estrella Levante bar, food trucks, cocktails, a “painting with beer” workshop and tastings of special alcohol-free beers.
Image: YAAAS
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist office and information points or go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
staff.inc.ali
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
