Alicante can boast not only the excellent beaches. Take a walk around the city and discover the beauty of Alicante at its fullest.
Museums
Museo Arqueologico Provincial (Provincial Archaeology Museum).- Tel. 96 512 13 00.
This museum was created in 1932, located in the basement of what was then called the Provincial Council building. It first contained findings from archaeological sites in Torremanzanas, El Campello and Alicante. It was later transferred to magnificent installations in the ancient hospital of San Juan de Dios, and became known, both for its layout and content, as one of the major museums in Spain in its class. It has valuable displays reaching from the Palaeolithic down to the modern age, with special emphasis on Iberian art, displaying a bust of Our Lady of Cabezo Lucero, reminiscent of the famed Lady of Elche, plus diverse Roman utensils, Islamic treasures and an extensive collection of ceramics from a number of different periods.
Col·lecció Capa (Capa Collection).- Tel. 96 526 31 31.
This collection is distributed among the halls and open-air spaces of the castle of Santa Barbara overlooking the city. It is the largest contemporary Spanish sculpture collection in the world, dating from the late 19th and 20th centuries. It was granted to the city by its founder, the collector and Professor Eduardo Capa, being inaugurated in 1998. The holdings consist of some 700 works, of which 250 are displayed on a permanent basis. The symbol of this magnificent collection is Salvador Dali's “Newton”, but it is always difficult to choose a favourite among this selection of works from the finest sculptors over the last 100 years: Benlliure, Blay, Capuz, Perez Comendador, Torre Isunza, Serrano, Los Oteiza, Manolo Hugue, Cristino Mallo, Orduna, the world's largest collection by Alberto Sanchez and many others. There is also a representation of foreign sculptors such as James Knowles, Kahlid and Leandro Mbomio.
La Asegurada (La Asegurada Museum) .- Tel. 96 514 07 68.
This is one of the most important contemporary art collections existing in Spain, derived from a donation made by the Alicante painter and sculptor Eusebio Sempere to the city in 1977. The exhibition is divided into three aesthetic departments: Geometries, Other Abstract Works and Figurative Works, all exhibited on a rotating basis. Of note are masterworks by Juan Gris, Julio Gonzalez, Pablo Gargallo, Eduardo Chillida, etc. Among the paintings, sculptures, mixed techniques and graphic works there are samples from some of the most important national and foreign creators from the 20th century: Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Tàpies, Kandinsky, Vasarely, Agam, Max Ernst and many others.
Pozos de Garrigos (Garrigos Wells).- Tel. 96 520 21 23.
These are a set of large-scale water wells (807,000 litres) excavated in the Benacantil mountain, of ancient origin, and believed to date from the Islamic period. There were records of their existence in the 16th century, although they were restored in the 19th century by Antonio Garrigos López, and named after him. They were intended to store rainwater from the catchment area of the mountain so as to supply the town. Inside the restored wells is a selection of objects and typical pottery pieces such as vases, earthenware bottles, jugs etc. which have been used by man down the ages for storing water.
Museo de Belenes (Nativity Museum) .- Tel. 96 520 22 32.
This Museum is located in a typical house in the old quarter constructed in the first half of the 19th century and preserving an original water well. It contains a collection of nativity scenes showing episodes from the life of Christ made by some of the finest Spanish nativity artists. There is also a life-sized nativity scene, and other nativities from diverse parts of the world.
Civic monuments
Castillo de Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Castle).- Tel. 96 516 21 28.
In view of its size, this is one of the largest medieval fortresses existing in Europe. It occupies the entire summit and a large proportion of the slopes of the Benacantil mountain, a peak rising up from the beach to a height of 166m. This provided a privileged look-out point over the sea, the bay of Alicante, and the surrounding farmland, propitiating human settlement on the crest of the mountain since time immemorial. Remains from the Bronze Age, the Iberian period and the Roman age have all been found here, as well as from the Islamic period, dating from the end of the 9th century. Between 1562 and 1580, under the reign of Felipe II, major reform work was carried out under the direction of the architects Antonelli and Palearo, further enhancing this monument’s rich history. The Castle has three differentiated enclosures. The highest part preserves the oldest remains (9th-13th C) and the English Bulwark, the Noble Room and Governor's House; the intermediate area has some of the most important works erected in the 16th century: Felipe II’s Rooms, the Guard's Room, the Bulwark of the Queen and the Forecourt, and the remains of the ancient Santa Barbara chapel; the last of the enclosures finished in the 18th century contains the so-called Bon Repós Reveille and monuments to the illustrious Alicante militaryman Félix Berenguer de Marquina, Captain General of the Philippines and Viceroy of New Mexico. The Castle can be accessed by a road leading up the western slope of the mountain amongst pine trees, or by a lift through part of the mountain going up 144m, which can be reached through a 205m-tunnel entered from Jovellanos Avenue, along the Postiguet beach.
Ayuntamiento (City Hall) .- Tel. 96 514 91 00.
This is a marvellous example of baroque civic architecture designed towards the end of the 17th century and started in 1701 according to plans by Lorenzo Chápuli, with work continuing until 1780. The façade is 50m long and is flanked by two twin towers of original design with tiled central domes erected over a portico through which the building is accessed. From the central doorway, with two pairs of twisted columns, there is a smaller back door opening onto the Plaza de la Santísima Faz, which contains some magnificent stone sculptures.
At the foot of the main stairway is the so-called “cota cero” (zero sea level), the reference point which is used to measure the height above sea level of all Spanish towns. Inside the sumptuous interior is a gigantic triptych by Gastón Castelló, allegorising the construction of this building, the so-called Blue Room, with a side chapel presided over by an Immaculate Conception painting by Lucas Espinós, and the Plenary Hall.
Castillo de San Fernando (St Ferdinand Castle).- Tel. 96 514 32 90.
This castle was built on the Tossal hill at the beginning of the 19th century in response to Napoleon's approach. It was soon rendered strategically useless, however, and became a local recreation site. It still preserves parts of its walls and a doorway that make a stopover worthwhile.
Panteón de Quijano (Garden).-
This is one of the last typically romantic gardens in the entire city. It was built between 1855 and 1857 and preserves a funerary mound in its centre, crowned with an obelisk designed by the architect Francisco Morell, which contains the remains of the civil governor Trino González de Quijano, who died heroically in the exercise of his duties as a victim of the cholera epidemic of 1854, which took a severe toll on the local population.
Casa de la Asegurada (Ancient city granary) .- Tel. 96 514 07 68.
This is the oldest civic building preserved in the city. It dates from 1685 and was first conceived as a granary, later becoming a school, and now being used as a Contemporary Art Museum.
Teatro Principal (Main theatre) .- Tel. 96 521 91 57.
Finished in 1847, the main theatre stands as a fine example of a classical construction. Inside, it reflects notable architectural audacity for its day, as it was built without supporting columns. It contains good examples of decoration and ornamentation.
Plaza de Toros (Bullring) .- Tel. 96 521 68 88.
This is one of the oldest bullrings still in use, built in 1849, although it has been restored and enlarged since then, with its current design dating from 1888.
Pasaje de Amerigo (Amerigo Arcade).-
This arcade is doubly curious in that it serves as an access to the largest building complex in Alicante, built in 1853, and that it is the only example of a typical 19th-century city landscape with notable Parisian influences.
Casa Alberola (Alberola House).-
This was the first large-scale housing block in the city, built in 1894, with an interesting maritime façade, built according to plans drawn up by the architect Guardiola. Of note are the corner tower and dome.
Buildings along the Avenida de la Constitución are well worth viewing, as they are all traditional in style: the cinema building Cine Ideal (1926), Gobierno Militar (1927) or the military headquarters, Casa de Socorro (1927) or the poorhouse, and towards the end, just before Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio, stands the central market, or Mercado Central (1921) – all but the first were the work of the prolific architect Juan Vidal. By the same man are the Lamaignere (1918) and the Carbonell (1925) buildings along the Explanada – the latter showing spectacular designs with a profusion of neo-baroque decorations.
The ancient Hospital Provincial, now a flamboyant Archaeological Museum, was completed in 1926 and stands out as a perfect example of hospital architecture of the period, very modern for its time, built, once again, by the architect Juan Vidal, with a long central body and five perpendicular wings on each side, making a kind of herringbone-shaped building.
Casa de las Brujas.-
Pure modernism can be seen here, in the so-called “Witches House”, cons-tructed by Enrique Sanchez Sedeño, the architect who designed practically all the buildings in Alicante in this particular style. Completed in 1911, although it was originally designed in the late 19th century, this house has a façade decorated with Art Nouveau plant motifs. It is now the seat of the regional government in the province of Alicante.
Palaces
The 18th century brought about enormous economic development in Alicante, in view of increased portuary activities following the authorization of commerce with the Americas and the creation of a Royal Maritime Tribunal. This was reflected in the architecture of the city, as numerous palaces and manor houses were built.
The first example of this is Gravina Palace, once belonging to the Count of Lumiares. This eventually became the Provincial Archive, and is soon to house the Provincial Gallery of Fine Arts exhibiting the holdings of the Provincial Council, consisting mainly of paintings from the 19th century.
The ancient Casa de Misericordia (House of Mercy), from 1752, was built under the patronage of the Bishop Gomez de Teran and has been used as an episcopalian seat and poorhouse, becoming a tobacco factory in 1801, still in operation today. It has fine porticoes and vaulted ceilings in the basement, which are of notable architectural interest.
Along the narrow street called Calle de Labradores stands one of the finest 18th-century palatial homes pertaining to the local nobility: Berenguer de Marquina, the oldest, located next to the Communion chapel of the concathedral; Maisonnave, also known as the Llorca home, seat of the Municipal Archive preserving remains of a Late Roman necropolis; Centro 14, currently part of the municipal buildings given over to the Youth Department and an exhibition room; O’Gorman, situated at number 18 and currently up for restoration; and the Marques del Surco palace, number 19, where the Alicante chronicler, Rafael Viravens, spent his last days.
Also in the old quarter of town, on the corner of Calle Miguel Soler and Calle San Nicolas, is the Díe manor house and winecellar. At the higher end of the street, facing the Calle Jorge Juan, stands the sober Marques del Bosch palace, built in the early 19th century, and containing a valuable library and furniture display.
Worthy of mention from the 20th century is the large neoclassical Provincial Council building, Palacio de la Diputación Provincial, with ornamentation reflecting the influence of the Levantine Baroque, and constructed by the architect Juan Vidal in 1931.
Behind this building is the so-called “Garden of the Celebrities of Alicante”, with tiled friezes and monuments erected to some of the more notable personalities from the province of Alicante.
Churches and temples
In Alicante we can see the Ibero-Roman city with remains dating from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century AD, or choose to see some of the displays of the finest contemporary artists; one of the most advanced archaeological museums in Spain; or the largest collection of 20th-century Spanish sculpture in the world; or an imposing mountaintop castle, Gothic churches and many extraordinary examples of civic and religious buildings in the baroque style.
As a new addition to Alicante's fine selection of monuments and museums, the city is soon to open a Provincial Fine Arts Gallery intended to contain and preserve 19th-century paintings and other works of art now in the holdings of the provincial council.
The city’s 18th-century manor houses, the typical Santa Cruz quarter with its quaint chapels, and many other monuments scattered around the urban area where travelling exhibitions are often held, are other attractions in the tourist lineup this city has to offer, ensuring that visitors will be pleasantly surprised.
Iglesia de Santa Maiía(St Mary's Church) tel.: 96 521 60 26
This is the oldest church in the city and was built in the Gothic style between the 14th and 16th centuries over the ruins of what was once the main mosque during the Moorish domination. The solid-looking towers flanking the façade are similar in appearance, but are in fact different in that the right tower has an original “L” shape and dates from the 14th century whereas the other is rectangular and was erected in 1713. The portal is a beautiful example of sculpted baroque stonework and is attributed to Juan Bautista Borja. Of note inside is the high alter in golden rococo (18th C), the choir in a very pure 14th-century Gothic style, the 16th-century Immaculate Conception chapel, with an image by Esteve Bonet (18th C), the antechoir, with a handsome baroque stone doorway, and the baptism chapel whose font in white Carrara marble is of Italian workmanship from the 16th century, attributed to the school of Michelangelo. There are many works of art kept inside this church, of which two valuable pieces from the 15th century can be highlighted: a Gothic image in stone representing St Mary and a sculpture of the Santos Juanes by Rodrigo de Osona. There are also incunabula dating from the 13th century onwards.
Concatedral de San Nicolás de Bari(Concathedral of Saint Nicholas of Bari) Tel. 96 521 26 62
The outside of this cathedral looks highly restrained and can be stylistically placed within the framework of the later Renaissance and the early non-ornamented baroque styles. Built between 1616 and 1662 following plans by Agustin Bernardino, a disciple of Herrera, it still preserves traces of the cloister dating from the 15th century, showing a smaller former temple that was built over the ancient mosque. Inside, the cathedral is spaciously proportioned, with a delicate dome soaring to 45m above the floor. There is a fine Communion chapel, considered one of the most beautiful examples of the high Spanish baroque. Within the same style are the doors of the cloister and the chapel of San Nicolas (1676), patron of the city, with an image of the saint, located in the centre of the apse and made by Juan de Villanueva. On the lower side is the reliquary bust of the Alicante St Felicitas (15th C) and on both sides are the co-patrons, St Rocco and San Francisco Javier. Of note among the cathedral’s artistic heritage are the Retablo de las Animas (Nicolás Borrás, 1574), the Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Nicolás de Bussi, 17th C) and an Italian baldachin in marble and jade from 1688.
Monasterio de la Santa Faz (Monastery of the Holy Visage) Tel. 96 526 49 12
This is now a nunnery of the order of St Clare located in a nearby town at 5km from the city centre. It dates from the early 16th century although the church in its current style was built between 1752 and 1766. Of the former fortified edifice only the defence tower (1582) is still preserved, on the right side of the building. The monastery has a fine, stylised, triple-panel baroque door, and inside, behind the high altar, is a finely-wrought hexagonal chamber (1677-1680) decorated with paintings by Juan Conchillos and containing a reliquary of the Holy Visage, inside of which, according to tradition, is one of the folds of the linen that Veronica used to wash the face of Christ on His way to Calvary, brought from the Vatican in the last third of the 15th century. Since 1489 popular pilgrimages have been made to this site each year, demonstrating the enormous devotion that Alicanteans have for the Holy Visage. Buried at the monastery are two of the city's illustrious sons: the composer Oscar Esplá and the painter and sculpture Eusebio Sempere.
Within the old part of town is a nunnery known as the Monjas de la Sangre. This was originally a Jesuit school dating from 1732 but since 1790 it belongs to the order of the Augustine Mothers. In the chapel is an image of the Virgin of Solitude (16th-17th C) considered to be the most ancient effigy taking part in the Holy Week procession. Just up the street is the chapel of St Rocco, co-patron of Alicante, erected in 1559, reconstructed in 1875 and recently restored. In the high altar is the figure of the Gypsy Christ, held in great devotion.
At the highest point of the quarter is the chapel of Santa Cruz, from the last third of the 18th century, built over the tower of the Ampolla, a cylindrical outpost along the old town walls, to which one can arrive through narrow, winding streets boasting typical architecture.
Returning to the traditional urban centre, there are two religious buildings located next to each other: the interesting Capuchin convent has a superb “pietà” by the ingenious image-maker Francisco Salzillo located on the right side of the chapel and known as Our Lady of Anguish. This enclosed convent contains (in a miraculous state of preservation) the body of the abbess and founding mother Sor Ursula Micaela Morata Garibaldo (1628-1703), writer and nun of Italian ascendance who was very popular in her day.
On the other side is the church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, a large, imposing prototype of contemporary religious architecture. Built between 1945 and 1951 by the architect Antonio Serrano Bru, this building was clearly inspired by the concathedral of San Nicolás and possesses elements of Herreran and neoclassical influences, with an octagonal belltower that is practically freestanding.
Famous promenades
The most popular of Alicante promenades is without doubt La Explanada de España. Built over the ancient port quay, this promenade was conceived in 1867 by the municipal architect José Guardiola Picó.
The current three-colour pavoirs dating from 1958 show the varieties of marble found in the area: Alicante red, Ivory cream and Marquina black. There are 6.6 million 4x4cm tiles tessellated together to form a gigantic mosaic measuring over half a kilometre in length, flanked by four rows of palm trees forming one central and two side walkways, ending in a monumental fountain (1960) by Carlos Buigas, who also designed the Montjuich fountains in Barcelona. Close at hand is a modern sculpture by Carlos García Muela entitled Agamemnon’s Torso (1999), and a monument to the assassinated turn-of-the-century liberal party leader Canalejas (1914) by the Alicante sculptor Vicente Bañuls.
There are other promenades around the quay area, also flanked by palm trees, although smaller in size: the seafront promenade Conde de Vallellano runs parallel to La Explanada; the Francisco Tomás y Valiente dock contains the so-called Queen’s Staircase, in front of which is a sculpture by Esperanza d’Ors set in the water and entitled Icharus Returns with a Surfboard (1999); Almirante Julio Guillen Tato Avenue and the adjacent Pedro Herrero Gardens, containng a bust of this revered pediatrician now in the process of beatification, parallel to Canalejas Park; and Plaza del Puerto Viejo (Old Port Square), between the marina and Postiguet Beach, whose pavoirs are replicas of the Explanada tiles, preserving neoclassical columns from the ancient Maritime Captaincy plus a monument by Juan Bordes erected in 1999 called “Man and Woman”, and a curious sundial.
Dotted around the town are countless plazas, some old and narrow, others modern and spacious. One typical square worth visiting is Plaza de la Santísima Faz, located behind the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), as it housed public buildings in the 16th century. It is irregular in shape and the majority of its buildings date from the 19th century, as it is the product of a series of demolitions carried out in the mid-20th century. From former epochs it still preserves a small fountain depicting an allegory of Veronica carrying the Holy Visage of Christ, with a curious reproduction of the ancient coat of arms of the city and not the official arms which were approved in 1941.
Another ancient square is Plaza de Gabriel Miró, which dates from the 16th century, also being called Plaza de las Barcas (Boats Square) because of its proximity to the old port. In 1918 the monumental fountain now occupying the plaza was erected, a creation by Vicente Bañuls, and in 1935 the bust of this illustrious Alicante-born prose writer lending his name to the square, sculpted by José Sempere, was added to the ensemble. The hundred-year-old ficuses are spectacular in size, meriting botanical study.
Equally traditional is Plaza de Calvo Sotelo, constructed in the 16th century. It was lansdcaped with gardens in 1874 and ten years later received the bust of Governor Barrejón, a heroic successor to a former governor who successfully combated the cholera epidemic of 1854. In the centre of the plaza is a monument to Eleuterio Maisonnave made by Vicente Bañuls in 1895 and built in memory of this illustrious Alicante mayor, founder of the savings bank Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad, Minister of State and Governor during the First Republic.
Despite its name, the so-called Plaza Nueva, or New Square, dates from the early 19th century, although it has been extensively refurbished during the 20th century. At the beginning of the 1980s the gardens built in 1932 were uprooted, and were then remodelled in 1998 for the installation of the Mediterranean Aquarium where a number of local marine species can be seen in their natural habitats.
The prototype of the modern, circular plaza of the new quarter of town, designed in 1915, is the so-called Plaza de Los Luceros. In its centre is the largest monumental fountain in the city, formally called “Levante” although it is popularly known as the fountain of “Los Caballos” (The Horses). It is the largest work ever produced by Daniel Bañuls, concluded in 1930.
At the confluence of four large avenues (Maisonnave, Aguilera, Salamanca and Oscar Esplá) there is a spacious circus more recently called Glorieta de la Estrella (Star Circus), which is interesting in that the centre is occupied by a mobile sculpture by the native Alicante artist Eusebio Sempere called “Como una estrella” (Like a Star), surrounded by a fountain.
