Alicante cleans the surroundings of Santa Faz two weeks before the massive pilgrimage

The Alicante City Council is gearing up and finalizing details for the celebration of Santa Faz, a festivity where each year over 300,000 people walk the eight kilometres connecting the city centre with the monastery, making it one of the largest pilgrimages in Spain.

Among the preparations, the council has cleared debris that accumulates throughout the year in the rural lands surrounding the hamlet, especially on the other side of the N-332 road. Traditionally, locals use these plots to have breakfast or lunch after the pilgrimage.

Throughout the year, construction debris proliferates in some plots, and to ensure the smooth running of the pilgrimage, the government team has decided to clean these areas.

This extraordinary cleaning of the hamlet's surroundings is carried out every year by the City Council and the concessionary company Netial. Due to the massive influx of people during and after the pilgrimage, the executive's decision to clean the areas has been implemented on both public and private lands.

In fact, the costs of this urgent cleaning carried out by the City Council do not impose an additional tax burden on the landowners, as these are used by all residents of Alicante for outdoor meals.

However, as explained by the government spokesperson, Manuel Villar, this cleaning does not exempt the Urban Discipline Department from continuing to demand that landowners keep their plots clean throughout the year and comply with maintenance and fencing obligations.

This year, the celebration of the Santa Faz pilgrimage in Alicante will feature significant novelties. Among them, the distribution of rollitos is modernized to accommodate intolerances, with 10% of those distributed being gluten-free. During the celebration, more than 1,200 kilos of this traditional delicacy will be distributed.

As is traditional, the distribution point will be located at the intersection of Avenida de Dénia and Calle Cigüeña, where the pilgrimage route passes. It will feature a large table 38 metres long and twelve people distributing the rollitos and mistela glasses, with over 900 litres.

The festivity falls on May 1st this year, and the time during which residents can visit the 'paraeta' to enjoy free rollitos and mistela will be between 7 and 11:30 am.

The ingredients of the rollitos will include wheat flour or gluten-free options, oil, sugar or natural sweetener, dry anise, and white wine. Meanwhile, the mistela will be made with muscat grapes and will only be served to those over 18 years old.