Calasparra, a hidden gem of Murcia, Southern Spain

If you love real Spain, Calasparra is a pretty little town in Murcia that is a gem to explore and has retained its Spanish identity - the people here speak Spanish as their first language! Calasparra has breathtaking mountain views and Its location is perfect for many places to visit, and all sorts of exciting recreational activities for the adventurous!

We enjoy clean air and average over 300 days of sunshine a year! During the summer when the temperatures are high the streets are almost empty. Then after siesta the town comes to life. The streets are closed to traffic, and the tables outside of cafes and bars soon fill up with conversation and laughter.

2008 saw the jubilee celebrations of Our Lady Of Hope, Senora de la Esperanza at the Sanctuary. Esperanza is the patron saint of Calasparra. The Sanctuary is a beautiful church set into the side of the mountain, the first records of the Sanctuary date back to the 17th century. The Sanctuary is a place of pilgrimage and many people travel here from all over Spain and beyond. On the way to the Sanctuary there is a viewing point where you can enjoy panoramic breathtaking views of the mountains, the town of Calasparra and the rice paddies. There are facilities at the Sanctuary including souvenir shop, restaurant, bar, childrens play area. You can take a beautiful walk by the river Segura and enjoy a barbecue or picnic.

The local council laid on a road train for the jubilee year that took you from outside Bar San Antonio in Calasparra to the Sanctuary. The train took you on a picturesque journey from the town to the Sanctuary, down by the river then it wound up the mountainside to the Sanctuary showing you the breathtaking views of the paddy fields and the general panoramic views of Calasparra.

The main annual fiesta in Calasparra is held the first week of September where the whole town comes out to party. It´s a lively event where most companies close for the week so everyone can let their hair down, There are many colourful parades, daily bull runs through the town and also a run for the children. The beer tents are open most afternoons/evenings along with lively music, street stalls selling jewellery, leather goods, etc. You can choose to be in the midst of the party or soak up the atmosphere with a glass of wine at a nearby cafe. There are also live bands in the auditorium and a fair ground with rides for both adults and children.

The caves just outside Calasparra are well worth a visit, The cave of El Puerto where this picture was taken and the Cave of Monigotes which is particularly spectacular with a lake, cave paintings, and a multitude, in shapes and hues, of stalagmites and stalactites.

Surrounding the town are the rice fields where the world renowned Calasparra rice is grown using natural pure mountain water which is fed into the fields by the traditional irrigation system inherited from the Moors, the farmers began growing rice in Calasparra around 1634. Calasparra rice is the first rice in Spain to be given the "Denominacion de Origen" which is a guarantee of quality.

If you enjoy recreational activities Calasparra has a lot to offer including canoeing, white water rafting, fishing, cycling, walking, climbing and during the summer months there is the open air swimming pool. If you are prepared to travel by car for approx 40 mins there are the thermal pools of Archena which are very relaxing and also cater for children. There is also quad biking available in Cehegin where you are taken for an exhilarating tour of the local picturesque mountains and there are plenty of places to stop and take in the scenery and fresh mountain air.

 Many people come to Calasparra on holiday each year to enjoy the scenery and get a taste of the laid back lifestyle that Calasparra offers. Why not enjoy your holiday in a traditional Spanish Casita with a private swimming pool, sun loungers and a bbq area for the warm balmy evenings when you don´t wish to cook inside. When you get there if you decide that you don´t want to do any cooking in the self contained casita then you will find that the owners are only too happy to cater for your food requirements on a b&b or full board basis. It really is a tranquil area of Spain and you will return to the UK fully refreshed and wanting to book up for the following year.

There are many good cafes and restaurants in Calasparra that offer a variety of Tapas, snacks and plated meals to tempt you. Although there is also an English bar serving tradional English food and drinks many visitors prefer to savour the more traditional Spanish bars & restaurants. The "Menu Del Dia" at lunchtime which is a set 3 course meal for between 6 & 10 Euro´s. is particularly popular.

Calasparra is a wonderful place to live if you are looking for a typical Spanish town and wish to have a laid back life and integrate with the Spanish. You can´t move here and expect anything to be achieved in a British tradition as the Spanish have a Mañana attitude, while this takes some getting used to, once you have been here for a while you come to expect it and take it in your stride. If you do decide to move to this area there are many different kinds of properties available in and around Calasparra, Murcia, ranging from traditional Spanish finca´s to modern new urbanisations, also plots of land where you choose the plot and build your own house and for the truly adventurous, ruins that can be renovated! "Spanish Property Selection" has many properties for your perusal. You can choose a townhouse if you want to be near the hustle and bustle of town life or a more rural property in the countryside among the almond and olive trees. If you decide to move to the area but want to get a feel for the place before you buy, there are plenty of short and long term rentals available both in the town and in the countryside,

Friday is a very colourful market day in Calasparra. The streets are filled with the aroma of sun-ripened fresh fruit and vegetables, and traditional Spanish fayre such as variety of typical chorizo saussage and other Spanish delicacies. Clothes, linen and many other stalls that offer all sorts of items, and sought after leather goods that tempt the pocket. There is nothing quite like a market day.

There is a well stocked medium sized supermarket Dia, which now has a selection of English goods, the larger supermarket Mercadona is in Cehegin which is approx 18 kms away, there are a variety of other shops selling goods such as fresh produce, giftware, fashion, perfumeries, and Spanish todo shops to name a few. There are also a couple of very handy Banks you'll need because you'll find so much temptation! If you miss your goodies from the UK there is the British food & goodies shop in Cehegin, opposite Mercadona with a large selection of English goods.

I have seen a gap in the market here for quality handmade greeting cards so I decided to bridge this gap myself. I have been making cards for over 10 years, up until recently only to send to my family and friends, now I make and sell handmade cards for any occasion. Last Christmas proved to be a very busy time for my card business as people were thinking of sending cards to family and friends all over the world. I can be contacted through the comment area of my page if you wish to see my cards or place an order. I also make personalised cards which adds a personal touch both for the person sending the card and the person receiving the card.

Calasparra is served by two airports, San Javier airport - Murcia, approx 100 kms and Alicante airport, approx 130 kms. Budget airlines offer flights to both airports and there is another airport due to open at Corvera in 2010.

There is a local hotel, The Argos, which is located between Calasparra & Cehegin and there are more hotels in the nearby towns of Cehegin and Bullas. Calasparra offers plenty of B&B´s and holiday flats, along with camping/caravan/mobile home facilities. There are also plans for a 5 star resort hotel on the outskirts of Calasparra.

The number of homes in rural Spain that have the internet is still low but it is growing, if you live in the town of Calasparra and you have a telephone landline you will be able to get broadband, even on the outskirts this can be true, but go a little more rural where there are no landlines then you will have to look at the alternatives. You can get a radio phone which will offer you the equivalent of a dial up connection, you can also get access to the 3G network via a modem that plugs into a USB port on your computer, this is broadband speed providing you can pick up the signal. There is also a local company called RedNet Wifi who offer a wireless internet solution, they are expanding rapidly in this area where previously no-one has been able to offer a service. So if you choose to move to rural Spain and would like a broadband connection, it is available.