The region of Murcia is an autonomous region in the country of Spain and has a long and rich history. From the religion abounding in Caravaca de la Cruz, to the reconstruction of history in Lorca, to the Cathedral of Murcia, to the historic port of Cartagena , the area boasts great contrasts and important historic sites for the visitor to see.
The following are some the most important areas to visit:
Caravaca de la Cruz: is one of the seven Holy cities in the world and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the Sanctuary of the True Cross, its castle, fortifications and ancient lanes. According to legend the Arab King Abu Zeid was converted to Christianity at Caravaca in 1232, and building work on the Sanctuary of the True Cross was began in 1617.
There is an impressive festival in May celebrating this conversion -`The Wine Horses´ and various museums around the town means there is plenty to stimulate the visitor.
Lorca: holds unique and spectacular processions during Holy Week, and is worth visiting for the Workshop of Time, a tourist and cultural project which gives the visitor the opportunity to travel through history from the Iron Age to the present day.
Murcia: the capital city of the Region was founded in 831 by Ab
d -Al-Rahman II. A must to visit is the Salzillo Museum and the Cathedral with gothic, baroque and renaissance elements it forms the perfect fusio n between Art and Architecture. Once you have taken in the Architecture and the History a visit to `La Plaza de la Flores´ is essential to eat and drink in the flavours of its numerous Tapas Bars.
Cartagena: This historic port was founded in 227 B.C. by Hasdrubal of Carthage. There still remain Roman walls, theatre and amphitheatre which testify to its splendour as one of the greatest Roman cities in Spain . There is also the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology and the Municipal Museum of Archaeology which have been enriched by the recent discovery of a two metre high statue of Emperor Augustus, carved in Carrara marble.
Cartagena now likes itself to be known as `Puerto de Culturas´ the port of many Cultures and makes the visitor welcome to see all its treasures. In addition to the Holy Week processions, in September the people of Cartagena re-enact the famous battles between the Romans and the `Cartagineros´. Also not to be missed is its now famous music festival – La Mar de Musicas- every July.
Since its inception in the early 1970´s the area around La Manga del Mar Menor has been enhanced by the international sporting facilities of La Manga Club.
Boasting three superb Golf Courses , the North (a fine resort style course), the South (a true Championship course) and the West (a test of Golf for all standards of Golfer) ensure that Golf can be played on superbly maintained and managed courses, complimented by excellent practice facilities and Golf Academy .
In addition, La Manga Club has one of Europes premier Tennis Centres with over twenty tennis courts and highly professional coaching facilities.
La Manga Club also has a professional standard football centre with 9 football pitches, where in the off season league and national sides from all over the world come to train and if you are lucky you will able to see these professional footballers train and play practice matches.
In addition, in recent years there has been an explosion of building quality holiday resorts within the region of Murcia and the majority of these have full sporting facilities.
Some are nearing completion such as Hacienda del Alamo, Mosa Trajectum and Polaris World, and others have yet to commence building.
Currently there are approximately 40 different projects within the Murcia region promising Golf and other sporting facilities, so its is obvious that shortly there will an abundance of sporting options for those staying or purchasing property in Murcia .
One of the main features of the region of Murcia is the Mar Menor, a land locked sea. The majority of water sports are catered for, from wind surfing, sailing, diving or just swimming the choices are unlimited.
An added beauty of the area is that in addition to the calm of the Mar Menor, just as easily accessible is the rougher waters of the Mediterranean .
Also, the rugged characteristics of the area make it an ideal place for hikers and hill walkers to discover sites unreachable by car, for example the gun emplacements above Portman Bay .
There are also numerous professionally run equestrian centres and stables within the area, what could be better than riding through the hills and lemon groves behind Los Belones or a beach excursion to the rugged national park of Calblanque.
If you would like further information on any of these activities please do not hesitate to contact us.
