Torre Castillo de Ansaldo

Monuments

The tower is solid on the ground floor. To get inside it was necessary to climb a ladder that connected with the first floor. This improved the defence of the fortress in case of attack. From the first floor you can ascend to the second floor and from there to the cover terrace. The base is made of plastered masonry and the corners are made with ashlar reinforcement. The tower has several loopholes at different levels in all its facades. There is a chapel in the complex that preserves paintings with allegories to divine justice, the theological virtues and several cherubs. The residential building was articulated by a large hall that still preserves two arches. To the left, there is a store that was also used as a stable. The service units were located at the back of the ground floor. The main space was destined to the lords of the estate. There is a basement that preserves the cellar, a very important space where many wines were produced. At the rear of the house there was a large pool of water, pens and several oil mills. The estate was completed by extensive orchards with olive trees, carob trees, fig trees, almond trees and fruit trees, irrigated with water from the small irrigation canal of Ansaldo. This canal belonged to the network of irrigation canals of Alacant’s cropland. The estate is named after the Ansaldo family, native to Genoa, who first came to Alacant during the reconquest in the thirteenth century, at which time they received several possessions in Almoradí. In the fifteenth century, a part of the family emigrated to America and another to Cartagena (Murcia), attracted by the socioeconomic conditions of the city. In the seventeenth century the family settled permanently in Alacant where they carried out a commercial activity, especially wine exports. Currently, there are different proposals from the municipality to address the restoration and to make the most of Finca Ansaldo, as a space for cultural use, or as a centre of interpretation of the Torres de l’Horta (cropland Towers). The site has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.