Perched on a panoramic hilltop crowned by the remains of a castle and its well-preserved Keep, Moratalla could be regarded as one big monumental ensemble with its quiet corners and its maze of hilly, narrow streets steeped in history and antiquity.
Rupestrian art of great relevance, together with the remains of Iberian, Roman and Mediaeval settlements, all bear witness to the former occupation of this area.
The municipality of Moratalla lies in a mountainous area that has the largest concentration of woodland in the Murcia Region, stocked with pines, holms, oaks and singular junipers, and home to the golden eagle and wild boar.
With its noble, solitary landscapes, its abandoned country houses and other secluded localities, the possibilities for nature-lovers are endless: climb Revolcadores (2,027 m), the highest peak in the Murcia Region, visit outlying districts dotted around the remote countryside, discover the charm of the Hermitage of La Rogativa (16th century), walk up the Benamor river with its crystal-clear waters, or admire the Roman bridge over the Alharabe.
This generous offer is complemented by over a hundred possibilities of rural accommodation to satisfy even the most demanding.
Moratalla is a Spanish municipality belonging to the Region of Murcia, located in Comarca del Noroeste. Its original name as indicated by various authors comes from Roman times, specifically from the place name Murata tallea (the one that is walled with sticks). Its population (INE 2016) is 8,145 inhabitants.
Economy and services Moratalla
The main resources of the municipality are agriculture (cereals such as barley, olive and oils, almonds, apricots, plums and peaches, aromatic plants such as lavender or lavender), canneries; the wood processing industry; livestock (sheep, especially) and rural tourism.
The rural houses of Moratalla are well known in the Region of Murcia, southeast peninsular and other places in Spain. In fact, Moratalla is among the ten most wanted towns in the country as far as rural tourism is concerned.
Natural Medium
Moratalla includes several protected natural areas integrated into the LIC and ZEPA networks. Between the declared places LIC they emphasize the River Alhárabe and Moratalla, the Mountain range of Revolcadores, the Mountain range of Villafuerte and the Rambla de la Rogativa.
En the municipal term (shared with the one of Calasparra) also is the Natural Reserve of the Sotos and Forest of the shore of Cañaverosa, in the section in which the Segura river crosses the municipality.
In the mountains, wild boars abound and the wild ibex survives, as does the deer, a species that has returned after a few decades of extinction.
Moratalla is the highest municipality in the Comarca del noroeste, the North-west of the Region of Murcia, and covers a vast area, with a number of different climatic environments, and thus logically, a variety of different property types as a result.
The lower reaches of the municipality cover flat, agricultural land, with large areas of cereal crop cultivation, alongside areas of almonds, olive, livestock and carob farming. Properties in this area tend to be older fincas, many in need of reform, often with considerable plots of land.
The old town itself is one of the less populated old towns of the north-west, with a large area of newer properties built at its base, and offers an excellent opportunity to obtain unreformed townhouses at very attractive prices.
There are also a number of reformed properties in the old quarter, as this area is very popular with walkers and Spanish nationals for weekend retreats, Moratalla being surrounded by acres of forestland and natural spaces which make it a very popular area with holidaymakers.
The core streets of the old town can be very cheap, as parking is difficult, but many of the properties on the outskirts have garages, the lower floor converted to give off-road parking.
At the foot of the town is an irrigated area of orchards in which apricots, olives and cherries are grown, fed with water from the reservoirs in the mountains behind Moratalla. These huerta properties are particularly popular with foreigners, many of them newbuilds, set in a pleasant fruit orchard setting with the old town above as a backdrop. Many are on smaller plots with manageable gardens.
Behind Moratalla, the mountains soar upwards, these higher pine-clad areas catching any snow which falls in the region, although the town moratalla-smaller)itself is below the snowline and only occasionally suffers winter snow. This area is sparsely populated, small settlements of just a few houses in magnificent rural settings, often unreformed and often with land.
To the east, vast areas of land spread out towards Albacete, with many rural properties, small centres of population and unspoilt countryside the order of the day. There are many beauty spots in Moratalla, springs, woodland areas and ruined castles the backdrop for the dramatic scenery which make this such a popular area with the Spanish.
It has a good range of basic facilities, weekly market, excellent medical centre, schools and small supermarkets, residents driving to Cehegín or Caravaca de la Cruz for the larger supermarkets. There are a good number of expats scattered around in the orchards and old quarter, and the town has a busy annual programme of fiestas and traditions.