January 2024


www.nitravelnews.com


A Different kind of Gulf -Discover Alicante


ALICANTE AND ITS COAST | 41 ONE TO WATCH:


BONFIRES OF SAN JUAN- THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER


ALICANTE celebrates the arrival of summer with the bonfires of San Juan. In a spectacular display of music, colour and fireworks, thousands of people throng the streets to experience this fiesta which pays tribute to fire. To celebrate the start of summer, locals used to go to the countryside to dine on 23 June: they would eat traditional food, and when it got to midnight, they would light campfires, dance around them, throw firecrackers and swim in the sea. This custom endured over the years, and in 1928 the fiestas of the Bonfires of San Juan were formally constituted. For several days, Alicante celebrates


Alicante is known for its party location, busy beaches and British summer influx- But have you seen the true Alicante? Look beyond the party strip and find pristine beaches, imaculate golf courses and yearly sunshine in the eastern coast of Spain. A sun-worshippers delight and a foodies dream, explore what this popular Spanish eastern coast has to really offer...


LOCATED in the heart of the Costa Blanca, Alicante is one of the most important tourist destinations on the east coast of Spain. The many golf courses and the calm waters of the Mediterranean are just some of the attractions offered by this beautiful port city located at the foot of the Castle of Santa Barbara, a silent witness to the numerous civilizations that have passed through it. The old quarter, located at the foot of this fortress, reveals an interesting civil and religious architectural legacy, without forgetting the emblematic Explanada de España, a favourite place for recreation for its inhabitants.


Alicante is also a land of deep-rooted popular traditions such as the Festival of Moors and Christians and the Night of San Juan. The star of the local cuisine is rice, cooked many different ways. Alicante’s strategic location, right on the Levantine coast, has meant that the main Mediterranean civilizations have settled here over the centuries. Greeks,


Phoenicians, Romans, came to


and later Arabs, these


several kilometres around. The old walled city was built at the foot


of this fortress. One of the buildings that most stands out among its network of narrow streets is the gothic church of Santa María ( 16th century), built on an old Arab mosque. Opposite this you can find the Casa de la Asegurada museum ( 17th century), which houses an important collection of contemporary works by artists of the stature of Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Eduardo Chillida. The Town Hall square, presided over by the Baroque façade of the Town Hall, is another of the important spaces in the old quarter. Behind it are two important buildings, the Jesuit school and the Procathedral of San Nicolás, completed in 1662. Herrerian and Baroque styles are mixed in this place of worship, inside which there is a beautiful 15th-century cloister.


The coastline is the favourite place for recreation among locals. The Explanada de España, facing the port, is a lively boulevard with lots of outdoor seating areas. A more modern recreational area stretches along the breakwater in the harbour, where there are also numerous restaurants and bars. Next to both areas is the town’s beach, El Postiguet, the perfect spot to enjoy the sea and the sun. The recently renovated Provincial Archaeological Museum (MARQ) is well worth a visit. Located in the building of the old San Juan de Dios Hospital, this educational and entertaining Museum exhibits the remains of the Tossal de Manises site, which reveals interesting information about the ancient city in Iberian, Roman


Greek and times.


shores in of


new search trade routes and


contributed with their culture to shape the character of the city.


The city and its port are watched over by Mount Benacantil, a large rocky headland at the top of which stands Santa Bárbara fortress. Of Arab origin, the castle exhibits traces of all the civilizations that passed through the city, although much of the current construction belongs to the 16th century. From the top of its walls there are views of the entire city, as well as panoramic views of the coastal strip and inland for


Other nature


reserves that play a vital role in protecting the environment are El Fondo, Lagunas de la Mata y Torrevieja, Montgó, Penyal d’Ifac, Salinas de Santa Pola and Marjal de Pego- Oliva. In the interior of the province you can visit the city of Elche and its palm grove, declared a World Heritage Site.


Fiestas, and surrounding areas local cuisine


Of course you must not leave without trying one of the many different mouth- watering local rice dishes: arroz a banda (rice with fish), arroz negro (rice with cuttlefish), baked rice...and the list goes on. There are


Alicante is also a


land of deep-rooted traditions such as the Festival of Moors and Christians, one of the most popular in the Levante region. The other big festivity is the Night of San Juan, on 24 June. It is a celebration featuring bonfires on which ninots (papier-mâché effigies) are burned, which in the days before had been paraded through the streets of Alicante capital city.


Alicante is a bustling hub of activity all year round due to its status as a tourist centre, just a few kilometres from San Juan beach and towns including Santa Pola, Torrevieja,Altea and Denia. All of them have a wide range of accommodation on offer. It is worth noting the Parador de Jávea, located in this beautiful coastal city in the north of the Costa Blanca.


Along the Alicante coast there are also a


dozen golf courses with magnificent views of the Mediterranean.


Alicante has a number of natural treasures that are worth visiting. Halfway between Alcoi and Ibi, in the Sierra del Menejedor, is the Carrascal Nature


de la Font Roja Reserve.


this huge homage to fire, in which the authentic but short-lived works of art play the starring role: the “bonfires” – enormous figures made of cardboard and wood which are burnt on the night of San Juan. The queen of the fiesta, known as the Bellea del Foc (the Beauty of the Fire), is chosen in May from among the candidates presented by a committee in each neighbourhood. The festivities officially begin with the plantà, or building, of enormous bonfires with their tongue-in-cheek cardboard figures which fill the streets of Alicante with wit and good humour. That day, the barracas or large tents are also put up to serve as a


public dance floor, and these are where fiesta-goers can sample the typical figs and cocas (a kind of pastry with tuna, onions and pine nuts).


Some of the highlights of the festivities include the Entry of the Bands and Committees, with their respective “beauties” and their ladies- in-waiting wearing traditional dress; the floral offering to the patron saint of the city, the Virgin of El Remedio on 21 and 22 June; and the international folklore parade, a spectacular procession


featuring dance troupes


from all over the world. Moreover, at 2 pm each day between 19 and 24 June, pyrotechnics shows are put on in Los Luceros square. It is a good idea to wear earplugs to watch these noisy mascletàs, given the racket caused by the dust and fireworks. Finally, at midnight on 24 June


comes the cremà (burning), the high point of the fiestas. After a spectacular white palm tree of fireworks, the bonfires all over the city are set alight and blaze away amid much merriment and dancing and singing, while fire- fighters shower the merrymakers with water in what is known as the banyà. But the fiesta is not over yet. From


25 to 29 June, there is a fireworks competition on El Postiguet beach, and the historic centre of the town comes alive with a medieval market and a range of shows. www.spain.info


some fish and shellfish dishes worth trying too. For dessert, look no further than the pan de higo (dried fig paste), turrón (nougat made with toasted almonds, honey and sugar) and Jijona ice cream. These meals can be washed down with wines with Alicante Designation of Origin, among which Fondillón stands out, a highly appreciated vintage sweet dessert wine.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72