Carrícola: art for art’s sake

Three snails instead of three coins in the fountain is what you’ll find in the village of Carrícola.

Art turns up in the strangest places, and in the tiny village of Carrícola, in the Valley of Albaida, art is in the air, art is everywhere.

Carrícola was in danger of disappearing at one point, and so somebody had the bright idea of inviting some artists along to liven up the village.

And so, everywhere you go (and there isn’t far to go apart from up the path to the looming castle, past another series of sculptures), there’s something to look at, or even touch.

Cats proliferate, some of them probably alive, but for the most part it’s the ones that skulk along rooftops that grab your attention.

The village isn’t exactly what you’d call lively, although at weekends and in the summer it gets an injection of visitors. But midweek in winter you’ll likely as not have it to yourself, and the small hotel will have a sign on the door telling you that they’ve gone to Valencia for the day; but at least they tell you!