A pleasant town, Castellón has found prosperity over the past few decades in its production of ceramics and azulejos (painted tiles). The second half of the 19th Century saw Castellón grow enormously, although a large part of the monuments built in those times were destroyed during the civil war. Its rebuilding since then has afforded it the appearance of being quite a modern, new town. Further up the coast of this province is Benicàssim, site of an international alternative music festival on the first weekend of every August. Even farther north is the town of Peñíscola, famous for its castle built by the Knights Templar at the end of the 13th century on a rugged promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean. The castle later provided shelter for Papa Luna, last of the anti-Popes of Avignon, from where he emitted ecclesiastical curses on anyone who disagreed with him.
