Traveling north from the Vega Baja you arrive in an area known as the Baix Vinalopó which includes Crevillente and Elche. Crevillente is located on the N-340 close to the A7 motorway and approximately 25 kilometers south of Alicante.

You will soon discover that this is not a holiday town in the usual sense of the word but very much a town where people live and work and you will see here many older style buildings bearing testimony to the various historic cultures which have had such an influence on the town. It is mainly an industrial town but the old town centre is picturesque with many flat roofed Moorish houses.

Crevillente has a long and interesting history from the days when it was first owned by the Romans, (who named it Campus Spartarius), then the Moors until 1263 during a period know as Reconquista when James I of Aragon liberated the town from the Moors. Even after this the town was to be subjected to various take-overs by one faction or another until in the early part of the 17th century the population consisted of only about 400 families the majority being Moors, and this number was to reduce still further in 1609 when the Moors were expelled from the area until only about one third of the 400 families remained. However, during the War of Succession in 1705 it was taken over yet again by King Borbon when it started to enjoy a more peaceful and stable existence.

The town became renowned for its production of esparto grass mats, which the French called Spanish Carpets and these were exported abroad from as early as 1797 and provided a vital income for the town. However, during the 19th century there was a slump in the trade and the people had to turn to other ways of producing an income and perhaps not unnaturally they turned their minds to carpets and tapestries. Research shows that Crevillente is now the leading carpet manufacturer in Spain.

Crevillente lies between the Sierra de Crevillente and part of the El Hondo Reservoir. The mountains played host to Jaume, a legendary bearded highwayman rather like Robin Hood but he was not so fortunate as his English counterpart and Jaume was executed in Murcia. The Laguna del Hondo is a very important and preserved ecological area as it is home to various migratory birds that use it as a stopping place on their way to Africa, a treat for birdwatchers as flamingos and Imperial Herons are regular visitors. The Sierra de Crevillente mountain range also plays host to the San Cayetano with extensive pine forests which provide a natural habitat for a great number of different species of fauna.

There is a very definite dearth of signposting in Crevillente and the best thing would be to park on the approach roads to the town and then to travel on foot, as driving through the town takes you through some extremely narrow roads and unless you have previously identified your destination it is very easy to find yourself going round in circles. The older tiled fronted Ayuntamiento for example is not sign posted and whilst it does have the traditional flag poles on the exterior of the building sadly there were no flags and it was nor easily identifiable, but it is a building well worth going to have a look at and if you go straight through the building and out through the back door you will find yourself in one of the many small narrow streets which are so interesting to investigate.

Crevillente has a beautiful church, the church of Nuestra Senora de Belen which is the principal church in the town and houses the Holy Week effigies which were sculpted by Mariano Benllure who also has a museum named after him with more of his work on display.

Certainly Crevillente is a typical busy industrial town, not really geared to holiday makers and tourists but a town where you are made to feel welcome and where directions are readily given and a town with an interesting and checkered history which is well worth a visit.