A town of the Vinalopó Mitjà, part of the Kingdom of Murcia until 1296, famous for its bagged table grapes and its marble; it received a settlement charter in 1611.
farmhouse of 1707 (18th century); medal in Chicago 1892 (according to the winery)Casa Sicilia, the farmhouse of 1707
Novelda is a land of bagged table grapes, but also of wine. On the outskirts, in the district of Las Alcaidías, stands the Casa Sicilia estate, whose farmhouse dates, according to the local press and the winery itself, from 1707; the official Valencian tourism board describes it as an 18th-century farmhouse. It is said, without documentary proof, that the estate's name recalls an old trade in wine and oil with Sicily. Today the estate once again has vineyards and a winery, and holds a Grape Harvest Festival every September. Another Novelda house, that of the Verdú family, boasts that in 1892 its wine won a medal at the Chicago Exposition.
Alive today: The Casa Sicilia estate and winery with its Grape Harvest Festival; Bodegas Vivanza (Verdú family)