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L´Alfas, which in Arabic
means "fertile earth", was a gift from the Baron of Polop.
This place has a long history with inhabitants and
visitors from many cultures. An archaeological find at
Albir Beach, has proven that the Romans had occupied this
area. In the 13th century Jaime I conquered the town. The
town centre was originally set some distance inland to
avoid attacks by Barbary Coast pirates.
Its population grew significantly in the 17th century and
in 1786 the local people planted a large pine tree in the
middle of the market place to symbolize a claim for
independence from Polop. From this we get the name L´Alfas
Del Pi. This was finally gained in 1836 when the town was
declared an independent municipality with its own identity
and administration.
(L'Alfás del Pi means "Alfas from the pine" (Pine is Pino
in Spanish.)
Grapes, olives, oranges, lemons, almonds, figs and locust
have been used by the farmers to make their living for
hundreds of years. In addition there was income from the
ochre mines in Sierra Gelada. In the beginning of the 20th
century the vineyards were devastated by grape lice, but
today the wines "Vinos de Mendoza" are produced and
bottled in this area.
Immigration to America and to North Africa was a direct
result of damage done by the grape lice, but this tendency
changed in the 1960´s when the tourist industry, which has
been a great success, first started.
Today the area around L´Alfas Del Pi, which occupies an
area of about 19 km2, has about 19000 inhabitants of which
about half are from other countries. In addition there are
many tourist that visit here each year. The good climate
and beautiful landscape make it a very attractive area.
There are many culture arrangements as well, i.e. an
annual film festival is held every summer where famous
actors come to add splendor. On the promenade some of the
famous have had their names engraved in the rock.
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