{"id":649,"date":"2025-12-29T12:46:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T12:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/?p=649"},"modified":"2025-12-31T08:26:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:26:17","slug":"alicante_essentials-vol-iii-oldest-alicante","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/en\/alicante_essentials-vol-iii-oldest-alicante\/","title":{"rendered":"Alicante Essentials \u00b7 Vol. III"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alicante essentials Vol. III \u2013 Beneath your feet: the oldest Alicante<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oldest Alicante: archaeological remains beneath the city<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024px-Alicante_1878-e1767011182659.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alicante is lived facing the sea\u2026 but also by walking over centuries of history. Beneath streets we stroll through today without much thought lie Iberian, Roman, medieval and contemporary remains that explain why this city has always been a strategic, inhabited and contested place.<br><strong>In fact,<\/strong> in this third volume of <em>Must-see Alicante<\/em>, we invite you on a chronological \u2014and very walkable\u2014 journey through the oldest Alicante, the one that is not always visible, but is right there, just beneath your feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Roman remains in Alicante: Lucentum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tossal de Manises (La Albufereta)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the Alicante we know today existed, there was <em>Lucentum<\/em>, the Roman city founded on a previous Iberian settlement. Located where the Tossal de Manises now stands, it was a key enclave for controlling territory and maritime trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/484-1500x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-625\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024px-Lucentum-Foro-1024x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-619\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><code>Roman remains of Lucentum at the Tossal de Manises, Alicante<\/code><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What\u2019s more,<\/strong> what is remarkable is not only that streets, baths, forum and houses are still preserved, but that its urban layout follows the same principles as many modern cities: orderly blocks, public spaces and a surprisingly advanced sewer system for its time.<br>Walking through Lucentum is understanding that Alicante was not born by chance: it was planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3128.291238594412!2d-0.44049652367438374!3d38.36538357791908!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0xd6239ce97fdc60d%3A0x4979229030ae7783!2sLucentum%20Tossal%20de%20Manises!5e0!3m2!1ses!2ses!4v1767007728116!5m2!1ses!2ses\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"250\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin: 0 auto;\"\n    allowfullscreen=\"\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\">\n  <\/iframe>\n  <figcaption style=\"margin-top: 0.5rem; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #666;\">\n    Lucentum \u00b7 Tossal de Manises\n  <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benacantil: the inhabited mountain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Santa B\u00e1rbara Castle and surroundings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mount Benacantil is not just a postcard view. From Iberian times through the Middle Ages, it was continuously inhabited. Beneath the castle and along its slopes, remains of dwellings, walls and defensive structures from different periods have been documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Still,<\/strong> a lesser-known detail: the castle is not a single construction, but a superimposition of historical layers. Each civilisation adapted what already existed, reusing walls and spaces. It is, quite literally, a vertical summary of the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/22030-1500x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-623\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><code>Santa B\u00e1rbara Castle on Mount Benacantil<\/code><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Islamic city of Al-Laqant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>El Barrio de Santa Cruz and El Barrio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Alicante was <em>Al-Laqant<\/em>, between the 8th and 13th centuries, the city was organised as a walled medina set between Mount Benacantil and the sea. This historic core is what we now know as <strong>El Barrio<\/strong>, the true urban heart of the medieval city. Political, religious and commercial life was concentrated here, and its irregular layout responded to both defence and climate: narrow streets, winding routes and spaces designed for shade and everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/275-1500x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-567\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"998\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/915-998x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-571\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Over time,<\/strong> the city began to grow up the slopes of Mount Benacantil. This is how the <strong>Barrio de Santa Cruz<\/strong> was born, a more humble and popular residential expansion built in the Christian period. Unlike El Barrio, Santa Cruz was not a centre of power, but a lived-in neighbourhood: small houses, steep streets, stairways instead of pavements and a direct, unembellished adaptation to the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Today,<\/strong> they are walked almost as a single space, but their origins are different. <strong>El Barrio was the city; Santa Cruz was one of the places where that city overflowed and became everyday life<\/strong>. What they share is a way of understanding urbanism that has survived for centuries: organic growth, respect for the terrain and a human scale that is still felt when walking without haste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"573\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3212-994x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-573\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><code>Streets of the Santa Cruz neighbourhood in Alicante\u2019s old town<\/code><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" data-id=\"585\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/22615-1500x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-585\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><code>Streets of the Santa Cruz neighbourhood in Alicante\u2019s old town<\/code><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3129.12827186965!2d-0.48532831128975973!3d38.346013056470845!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0xd6237b037b27e89%3A0x277d7345f34d8a1b!2sCasco%20Antiguo-Santa%20Cruz%2C%20Alicante%20(Alacant)%2C%20Alicante!5e0!3m2!1ses!2ses!4v1767008294655!5m2!1ses!2ses\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"250\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin: 0 auto;\"\n    allowfullscreen=\"\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In other words,<\/strong> here archaeology is not displayed in showcases. It is in the width of the streets, in the unexpected slopes, in the orientation of the fa\u00e7ades and in the way the city protects itself from the sun. A medieval design that, far from becoming obsolete, still works surprisingly well in present-day Alicante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Town Hall and the Baroque city<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Town Hall Square and Casa de la Asegurada<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In particular,<\/strong> beneath Alicante\u2019s current Town Hall lie not only construction remains, but a true synthesis of the city\u2019s urban evolution. In this spot, sections of the medieval wall have been documented, as well as structures predating the current Baroque building, confirming that this area was strategic for centuries. It is no coincidence: this is where administrative and defensive power was concentrated when the port was Alicante\u2019s true economic engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6959-1500x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-581\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alicante Town Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Just as importantly,<\/strong> a few metres away stands the Casa de la Asegurada, one of the oldest preserved civil buildings in the city. Its construction reused earlier defensive elements, something very common at a time when adapting existing structures was more practical than demolishing and rebuilding. This overlap of functions \u2014defence, administration and urban life\u2014 explains why this area has been occupied almost continuously since the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3129.1172499125087!2d-0.48225812367507276!3d38.34626817903422!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0xd623794c3cbbbcf%3A0x6ef47a18b8804313!2sCasa%20de%20l&#39;Assegurada!5e0!3m2!1ses!2ses!4v1767009004929!5m2!1ses!2ses\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"250\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin: 0 auto;\"\n    allowfullscreen=\"\"\n    loading=\"lazy\"\n    referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 53%\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>On top of that,<\/strong> here appears one of Alicante\u2019s most curious and lesser-known details: the so-called <strong>\u201czero level\u201d<\/strong>. On the Town Hall staircase lies the reference point that was used for decades to measure altitude above sea level in Spain. From this point, maps, infrastructure and engineering projects across the country were established. A technical gesture, seemingly discreet, that connects Alicante with the history of cartography, engineering and modern construction.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cota-cero-alicante-1080x630.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-629 size-full\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ultimately,<\/strong> walking across this square is walking over layers of city: invisible walls, reused buildings and a small brass point that, barely noticeable, marked for years the way an entire country was measured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Air-raid shelters in Alicante during the Civil War<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why these shelters matter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>However,<\/strong> not all archaeology is ancient in the classical sense. Beneath the Central Market and other areas of the city centre lie air-raid shelters built during the Spanish Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For this reason,<\/strong> these underground spaces recall one of the harshest episodes of Alicante\u2019s recent history, a city especially affected by bombardments. Today, some shelters can be visited and offer a sober yet necessary experience to understand the 20th-century past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Four shelters to find in the city centre<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00b7 Central Market Shelter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is the most well-known and symbolic. Built to protect the civilian population, it is closely linked to the bombing of 25 May 1938, one of the deadliest of the Civil War in an open city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>As a result,<\/strong> today it is preserved as a visitable space and allows visitors to understand how life was organised underground: continuous benches, ventilation, interior signage and rules of coexistence in extreme situations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?q=Refugio+Antia\u00e9reo+Mercado+Central+Alicante&#038;output=embed\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"200\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin:0 auto;\"\n    loading=\"lazy\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00b7 Plaza S\u00e9neca Shelter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meanwhile,<\/strong> this shelter stands out for its <strong>excellent state of preservation<\/strong> and for offering a very educational experience. It was designed to accommodate hundreds of people and retains original elements that help imagine the waiting, the silence and the tension of those moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In fact,<\/strong> it is one of the shelters that best explains the everyday dimension of the war in Alicante.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?q=Refugio+Antia\u00e9reo+Plaza+S\u00e9neca+Alicante&#038;output=embed\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"200\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin:0 auto;\"\n    loading=\"lazy\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00b7 Plaza Doctor Balmis Shelter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Likewise,<\/strong> located in what is now a very busy area, this shelter shows just how much the entire city had to adapt to the constant threat of bombardment. It formed part of a broad and well-planned civil protection network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In this context,<\/strong> its location helps to understand how shelters were integrated into daily urban life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?q=Refugio+Antia\u00e9reo+Plaza+Doctor+Balmis+Alicante&#038;output=embed\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"200\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin:0 auto;\"\n    loading=\"lazy\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00b7 Plaza del M\u00fasico \u00d3scar Tordera Shelter (former Market Square)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Finally,<\/strong> less well-known, but equally representative, this shelter is part of the extensive underground network built in Alicante during the war. Many of these spaces remain closed, but their documented existence reveals the scale of the city\u2019s defensive effort.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 2rem 0; text-align: center;\">\n  <iframe \n    src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?q=Refugio+Antia\u00e9reo+Plaza+M\u00fasico+\u00d3scar+Tordera+Alicante&#038;output=embed\"\n    width=\"100%\"\n    height=\"200\"\n    style=\"border:0; display:block; margin:0 auto;\"\n    loading=\"lazy\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A city built upon itself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In short,<\/strong> Alicante does not destroy its past: it integrates it. Iberians, Romans, Muslims, medieval communities and the contemporary city have built layer upon layer, adapting what already existed to new needs.<br><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1049\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024px-Escudo_de_la_villa_de_Alicante.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-627\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;width:466px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024px-Escudo_de_la_villa_de_Alicante.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024px-Escudo_de_la_villa_de_Alicante-768x787.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historic coat of arms of the town of Alicante<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>That is why<\/strong> walking through the city attentively changes the way you see it. Every square, every unexpected slope, every ancient wall speaks of a city that never stopped reinventing itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In practice,<\/strong> if you stay in the centre, this entire route can be done on foot, unhurriedly, letting yourself be surprised. And perhaps that is the greatest luxury: sleeping in a modern city knowing that, just beneath it, a millenary history rests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In the end,<\/strong> Alicante is discovered by looking around\u2026 and also by looking down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>And of course,<\/strong> this journey does not end here. In the next volume of <em>Must-see Alicante<\/em>, we will head indoors with <strong>Vol. IV \u2013 Museums that tell the story of Alicante<\/strong>, a tour of spaces where art, history and curiosities help us understand the city from new perspectives, with calm and attention to detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If so,<\/strong> if this journey through the oldest Alicante sparks your curiosity, experiencing it from within makes all the difference. Staying in the city centre allows you to explore these layers of history on foot, without schedules or rush, returning to a calm and carefully designed space when the city slows down.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1152\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/THEVISUALCLUB__502_19.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-633\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover;width:800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/THEVISUALCLUB__502_19.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/manlia.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/THEVISUALCLUB__502_19-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>At the same time,<\/strong> at <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/manlia.es\">Manlia<\/a><\/strong>, every stay is designed to enjoy Alicante with freedom, attention to detail and the confidence of a well-accompanied experience. If you are planning your next getaway, booking directly on our website is the easiest way to start living it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/manlia.es\/\">Book your stay on the Manlia website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alicante essentials Vol. III \u2013 Beneath your feet: the oldest Alicante Oldest Alicante: archaeological remains beneath the city Alicante is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,28],"tags":[68,50,63,66,64,65,67,52],"class_list":["post-649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essentials","category-travel-guide","tag-air-raid-shelters-alicante","tag-alicante-history","tag-archaeological-remains-alicante","tag-must-see-alicante","tag-oldest-alicante","tag-roman-lucentum","tag-santa-barbara-castle-2","tag-santa-cruz-alicante"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - 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