Find your holiday villa in Alicante<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/60-Alicante-header.jpg\")
\nAlicante, a flourishing city in Spain<\/h2>\n
Alicante<\/strong>, the capital of the homonymous province of Alicante, is part of the region of Valencia, located on the south-east<\/strong> of Spain. Alicante is also a quite important harbour<\/strong> on the Mediterranean Sea, on the Costa Blanca. With a population of approximately 350,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most flourishing cities<\/strong> in Spain. Alicante\u2019s economy is based on the services sector, being tourism one of the most important ones, though it also exports wine, olive oil, fruit, leather, fabric and pottery. And we cannot forget to mention the world famous paella<\/strong>, one of Alicante\u2019s gastronomic specialties<\/strong>.<\/p>\nHoliday homes and villas in Alicante<\/p>\n
Alicante and its mild Mediterranean climate<\/h2>\n
The Costa Blanca has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters<\/strong>, with average temperatures of 11\u00baC, and pleasantly warm summers<\/strong>, with average temperatures of 26\u00baC. As it has many hours of sun<\/strong>, you can sunbathe there from May till October. Alicante<\/strong> is also surrounded by hills, which creates a unique microclimate with little rainfall <\/strong>during the whole year. The few cases of rainfall usually take place between September and October.<\/p>\nHow to get around Alicante and the Costa Blanca<\/h2>\n
Alicante\u2019s airport<\/strong>, El Altet, is located at only 15 kilometres<\/strong> south of its centre. Thanks to it Alicante<\/strong> is easily reachable<\/strong> from any point in Europe. Among the facilities it offers, you will find many shuttle and taxi services covering the route from the airport till many of the beach resorts on the Costa Blanca. From Alicante\u2019s centre<\/strong>, there is a subway line<\/strong> connecting it with some of the beaches<\/strong> on the Costa Blanca<\/strong>. There is also a tram line<\/strong>, which connects Alicante to the neighbouring city El Campello<\/strong>, where there is a connection to Benidorm<\/strong>. There are also regular ferry services<\/strong> to the Tabarco Island<\/strong> and to the Balearic Islands<\/strong> (Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca), and even to Algiers.<\/p>\nAlicante\u2019s chequered history<\/h2>\n
Alicante <\/strong>was founded<\/strong> in 320 BC by the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barkas<\/strong>, which named the city Alkra Leuka<\/strong>, meaning \u201cwhite mountain\u201d in Ancient Greek. The city was given the name Lucentum after it was conquered by the Romans during the year 201 AD. In 711 AD, Alicante was besieged by the Moors, which eventually conquered the city. The local inhabitants were forced to flee to the inlands along with the Visigoth army, which was heading north, to the Pyrenees. In the end, it was the Moors who established the current name of Alicante. Alicante remained in the possession of the Moors from the 8th till the 13th century. During this period, they built a fortress<\/strong> on the outstanding rocky hill, so they could protect themselves from the assailants. This fortress evolved to what is nowadays known as the Castillo de Santa Barbara<\/strong>. After many battles between Arabs and Christians, Alicante<\/strong> became part of the Kingdom of Aragon<\/strong>, during the 13th century. In the early 18th century, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Alicante got visited by the British and, thereafter, during the Spanish War, by the French. Later on, Alicante had to bear the Italian and the Germans during the Spanish Civil War and the Pied-Noirs (the Black Foot) during the war in Algeria. It wasn\u2019t until the 60s that Alicante started to develop remarkably and that its population increased.<\/p>\nAlicante\u2019s sights<\/h2>\nAlicante\u2019s old town, churches, and monasteries<\/h3>\n
– The small old town<\/strong>, located between the Rambla<\/strong> at the town\u2019s old walls and the hill of the Castle of Santa Barbara<\/strong>, is where you will find the main monuments<\/strong>.
\n– At the old quarter of Santa Cruz<\/strong>, with its picturesque alleys and stairs, surrounded by white houses decorated with flowers and colourful tiles, you will find the delightful hermitage of Santa Cruz<\/strong>.
\n– At Alicante\u2019s old town, you will also find many different beautiful and well-preserved churches<\/strong> such as the recently restored Iglesia de San Roque<\/strong>, the squared Baroque Cathedral of San Nicolas de Bari<\/strong>, and the Gothic Iglesia de Santa Maria<\/strong>, built on the foundations of a Moorish mosque, which is still visible through the glass bottom floor. The beautiful Baroque town hall draws attention because of its two towers, its charming entrance, and its dome.
\n– The 18th century monastery<\/strong> of the nuns of the Pur\u00edsima Sangre de Cristo is completely fenced, but its church is open to the public.
\n– The Palacio Maisonnave<\/strong>, at the calle Labradores, is a former mansion from the 18th century, where nowadays you can find the provincial registry.<\/p>\nAlicante\u2019s castles on the Costa Blanca<\/strong><\/h3>\n– The Castillo de Santa Barbara<\/strong> is a complex of buildings and defence walls dating back to different periods, from the 9th century, when the Mores inhabited in Alicante, till the 18th century. It is built on the Monte Benacantil hill<\/strong>, which is the highest point of the city<\/strong>. You will also find there rests of the Bronze Age, and the Roman period. This castle is the biggest castle complex<\/strong> on the Costa Blanca<\/strong> and on the whole Mediterranean area<\/strong>. It is surrounded by many beautiful parks and gardens, terraces and kiosks, and many expositions are held there.
\n– The Castillo de San Fernando<\/strong> was built to protect Alicante against the invasion of Napoleon\u2019s troops. Built on a lower hill than the previous castle, this one was never completed and looks a bit abandoned nowadays.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/60-alicante-castle.jpg\")
\nAlicante\u2019s modern quarters<\/strong><\/h3>\n– The quarters of el centro<\/strong>, Sant Anton<\/strong> and el mercado<\/strong> are characterized by their splendid boulevards, which makes them a very enjoyable place to have a walk.
\n– The Plaza de Los Luceros quarter<\/strong> attracts attention because of its beautiful fountain with sculptures of horses and mythological figures.
\n– The Provincial Palace<\/strong>, with its Neoclassical and Baroque style, on the Avenida Estaci\u00f3n, housed from 1932 till the year 2000 the Archaeological Museum, which later moved to the MARQ (Archaeological Museum of Alicante).
\n– Alicante\u2019s market complex<\/strong>, the Mercado Central, dates back from 1912 and contains two floors, built on the exact site of the former walls of the city. On Alicante\u2019s coast line<\/strong>, there are plenty of boulevards with palm trees<\/strong> and with amazing sights on the marina<\/strong>. It is the perfect place to have a walk.
\n– In the arena of the Plaza de Toros<\/strong>, built in 1888, you will find the museum and the academy of bull-fighting, along with some sculptures made of bronze.<\/p>\nAlicante\u2019s interesting museums<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlicante<\/strong> offers many interesting museums for those who love culture<\/strong>:
\n– The Museum of Fine Arts<\/strong>, founded on the 18th century at the Gravina Palace, opened its doors on 2001, and has an overview of 500 years of art, from the 16th till the 20th century.
\n– The Museum of Modern Art<\/strong> was founded during the 17th century in la Asegurada, a building of Valencian-Baroque style. This building used to be Alicante\u2019s town hall, but it was also used as a prison and a barn. Nowadays, it houses modern art from the 20th century, with artists like Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Joan Mir\u00f3<\/strong>. The small Museum of Cribs<\/strong>, in Alicante\u2019s old town<\/strong>, shows the Spanish tradition of making cribs for Christmas.
\n– The Provincial Archaeological Museum of Alicante<\/strong> (MARQ) is placed in a large building that dates back from 1924, and contains many different rooms with elements from the prehistoric, Iberian, Roman, Medieval-Moorish, and Christian culture. You will find rural, urban and underwater archaeology in its huge collection. Because of its modern expositions, in 2004, the MARQ was chosen as the European Museum of the year.
\n– In the university campus, at the northwest of Alicante<\/strong>, there is the University Museum<\/strong>, which opened in 1999 and is mainly focused on contemporary art and the conservation of it.
\n– Alicante\u2019s Ciudad de la Luz centre<\/strong> is the most complete<\/strong> and modern audiovisual complex<\/strong> in Europe<\/strong>. It is located at 7 kilometres from the city centre and offers all kinds of facilities for the film, TV and publicity industry. It contains 10 movie sets, a specific zone to record water scenes, and a school to learn audiovisual techniques.<\/p>\nHaving a walk in Alicante<\/strong><\/h3>\n– The Spanish Esplanade<\/strong> is a beautiful boulevard with palm trees<\/strong>, which runs through Alicante\u2019s coast line<\/strong>, covered with 6,600,000 mosaic tiles with a pattern of three colours. You will find many different bars and restaurants on this boulevard, and also an open air auditorium.
\n– At the large Spanish Esplanade, you will find the Parc de Canalejas<\/strong>, with its impressive centenarian ficus<\/strong> that can reach the 20 metres<\/strong> high.
\n– The Parc de L\u2019Erata<\/strong>, on the slope to the Benacantil hill, has many gardens<\/strong> and invites you to have a small walk around the Castle of Santa Barbara. On the small Esplanada de Ramiro, at the Postiquet beach<\/strong>, you will find the rests of the old town walls<\/strong>.<\/p>\nAlicante, on the Costa Blanca, also a beach resort<\/h2>\n
And, of course, Alicante<\/strong> also has
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