Alcoy (Valencian:Alcoi) is an industrial city inAlicante province of theValencian Community of 59,000 people (2018). It is best known for its largeMoros i Cristians (Moors and Christians) festival.
Alcoy has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The name's etymology is unclear, but is believed to derive either from Arabic (al-Qawi – the fort/village) or from Latin (Arabic articleal + Latincola – cultivator/inhabitant). The town in its current incarnation was formally established after the Christian reconquista in 1256, and was the setting for repeated Arab revolts. The last of these was suppressed in 1276 and is still commemorated today in the city's annual Moors and Christians festival.
In the mid-19th century the city became heavily industrialized; most architecture in the centre dates from this period. Today the city is a regional commercial and financial centre.
Subus Alcoi operates six routes in Alcoy. A single journey costs €0.85, payable in cash to the driver on entry. If you plan to use the bus frequently it may be worth purchasing aTarjeta Multiviaje card, which will give you ten journeys for €5 – these can be purchased at a number of convenience shops, shown on an interactive maphere.
A route map can be downloadedhere, and more detailed route maps with schedules can be downloadedhere.
Despite the antiquity of the street layout, most buildings in the historic centre are Modernist in style and date from the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when the city was completely modernised during the Industrial Revolution.





Alcoy and the surrounding region has a number of distinct dishes.
Alcoy, along with nearby Cocentaina, is known for itscafé licor ('coffee liquor'), not to be confused with the sweeterlicor café inMurcia andGalicia. The drink is known to date to the early 13th century, and grew in popularity during the industrial revolution when factory workers would add it to their coffee thermoses. Today it has the Spanish denomination of origin ofBebidas Espirituosas Tradicionales ('Traditional Spirits'), and is consumed alone or mixed with other ingredients, such asorxata (Spanish:horchata), soda water, or lemon water.
Cervesa Spigha, the local craft beer, comes in three varieties: American pale ale, brown ale, and blonde ale.

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