Ulea: history, orchards and heritage in the Ricote Valley

Ulea is a municipality in the Ricote Valley, in the Region of Murcia, set among irrigated orchards on the banks of the Segura River. Archaeological remains show Roman occupation in the area, while during the Islamic period the settlement occupied the castle hill, where traces of walls, a cistern and irrigation heritage still survive. Ulea entered the orbit of the Crown of Castile after the Treaty of Alcaraz in 1243 and was later linked to the Order of Santiago, which left a lasting religious and historical imprint on the town.
Population: 926 inhabitants (2025).
Distance: in the Ricote Valley, near Archena, Ojós and Villanueva del Río Segura.
Highlights: the 15th-century Church of San Bartolomé, built on an old mosque, the Heart of Jesus viewpoint, the so-called Eiffel House, and the orchard landscape of the Segura valley.