The Christian foundation of the Villa of Alcoi took place in 1256, and in 1305 its first urban expansion was started. This newly developed urban site was called in the 14th century Pobla Nova of Sant Jordi or Vilanova of Alcoi. The old quarter of Alcoi was protected by a wall and several towers, of which the Tower of l'Andana (in the Plaçeta de les Xiques), the Tower of N'Aiça and the Tower-Gate of the Riquer have survived. The latter was also the door of entrance into the town from the old road of Castilla or Madrid. At the beginning of the 18th century, during the War of Spanish Succession, a bastion was built next to the Tower of N'Aiça. Some years later, all these towers were adapted for housing and a wider door was opened on the wall of the Puríssima road to allow the access to carriages from Saint Roc road. This new door received the name of Arc de Sant Roc.
This extensive space, made from concrete and granite, was created between 1992 and 1995 by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, and was designed to simulate the skeleton of a huge animal. It was inaugurated in 1997 and has hosted a number of cultural and social activities. The main vault of this subterranean hall, finished in an immaculate white, is supported by a series of parabolic arches, a typical feature of Calatrava’s work. The hall is accessed from Plaça d’Espanya, the main square of Alcoi, via a system of hydraulic doors which open onto two stairways, which when closed are disguised by barred trapdoors. Once inside the hall, at the main entrance the visitor finds himself at the tail of the animal, while at the opposite end there is the head. It is worth highlighting the wonderful natural light that illuminates the hall through the ceiling, along with the fact that it follows the contours of Plaça d’Espanya, including the slight slope of this Town Square.
This building was built in 1881 to be the central office of the Banca Vicens, and currently houses the Alcoi Chamber of Commerce. The building has a façade of stone blocks, with detailed cast iron balconies. The figure of Mercury found above the main entrance symbolizes commerce. The ground floor, which today is used for offices, was originally used to house the stables and coaches, as well as the coal for the heating system. Opening hours from Monday to Friday 8:30 to 15:00 h. Closed: festivity days.
This building is in Academicist style. It was designed by architect Jorge Gisbert Berenguer and was built between 1846 and 1863, on the space where the Monastery of Saint Augustine was. In the main stairs and in different rooms we can admire an exhibition of paintings and sculptures made by local artists, amongst which there are remarkable works by Fernando Cabrera Cantó, Ramón Castañer, Adolfo Durá, Plácido Francés, Edmundo Jordá, Antoni Miró, Emilio Sala and other different contemporary authors. Opening hours: from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 20:00 h. Friday from 8:00 to 15:00 h. August from 8:00 to 15:00 h. Closed: festivity days.
This building dates back to the 17th century (1620). The building served as the Town Hall and the Lonja de Contratación (trade marketplace). Its harmonious, simple façade is hewn from tosca stone. The ground floor has three half-pointed arches on the main façade and one on each side façade, forming an open porch. There are two windows on the first floor and a balcony over the impost that runs around the façade. It has a sundial dated 1639 and a back door that gives onto San José with a dintel decorated with a small curtain arch. Next door is the house of Constanza the sister of St Vicente Ferrer, Teulada's patron saint. The square where it stands, plaça de Els Portxes, has a plaque which commemorates the date when the municipal area gained its independence from Benissa and Calpe (1386).
This stands on the highest point of the Cap d'Or Peninsula, one of the most spectacular spots on the coast, affording a magnificent view over the horizon. It was built at the end of the 16th century as a coastal fortress, along with the other watchtowers along Valencia's coastline. These were in contact with each other to warn of possible pirate attacks. It is seven metres in diameter and eleven metres high. Half of the interior is solid stone. Nowadays the entrance has been sealed but this once led to a terrace which was reached by a rope latter. There were two cannons, which were discovered on the Portet beach in 1980. There is an archaeological site on the south-eastern side of Cap d'Or dating to Upper Palaeolithic times.
Moraira Castle was built in the 18th century both for defensive purposes and as a lookout tower. It stands at the end of the l'Ampolla beach. It is a traditional "ox bow", shape and has a semi-circular south-facing façade. There is a Bourbon emblem over the entrance, consisting of the date on which it was finished 1742. In the past there was a moat and drawbridge which protected the occupants of the tower. The sloping walls are ten metres high and are made of stone, faced with tosca stone slabs hewn from the fossilised dunes that surround it. The roof is protected by a small wall, with seven openings that form battlements where the cannons were positioned. There are thick dividing walls that separating the inside of the building into a central nave with two smaller rooms to the side. The inside measures 200 square metres. It is lit by three small windows that look south, with a fourth window over the entrance door. There is a small chapel opposite the door to the fortress and a small cistern a few metres to the east. This is from the same period and was used to store water for consumption by the occupants of the tower. There is a themed installation inside explaining the watchtowers of the Valencian coastline.
The auditorium was designed by Francisco Mangado and is a contemporary-style building. It was officially opened in 2011. This sleek building has concrete walls with a south-facing façade that overlooks the sea and is faced with blue ceramic tile. The Auditorium stands at the highest spot in Teulada and affords views over Moraira town centre on the coast and a stunning landscape of terraced vineyards. It hosts an extensive variety of different cultural events throughout the year.
The remodeling of the Windmill to provide it with all the necessary mechanisms for its perfect operation, is a unique opportunity to know one of the most characteristic buildings of the Spanish East, since most of them are in a ruinous state. Its traditional façade and the natural environment that frames it, on a small hill, form a unique picture that makes the visitor go back to the days when their blades turned with the wind to grind the grain and obtain the flour that supplied the whole town.
The Portalet is the name that is known to the door that leads to the square of the Church from its back side. Constitutes the second entrance of the square, besides the Church-street. This door was one of the entrances to the walled core upon which was built the first village, surrounding the Church.This space was in medieval times a walled enclosure conformed by slopes of the highest ground, the walls of the temple and the back of the houses. Walking from the square through the Portalet, it becomes a beautiful viewpoint seeing the Montgó, the Cape of Sant Antoni, the Bay of Xàbia and the hills that rise to the Puig Llorença.
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