City of the Castle
Joe on December 22nd, 2009 | Filed under Travel
The Castle of Santa Barbara is really most notable feature of Alicante Spain. It sits high above the city and port with all of its rustic grandeur. The residence of the city below are trying to keep it a place for everyone while others are trying to make it an industrial estate. From the Santa Cruz neighborhood passers by can look straight up the hill and see the walls of the castle. It is amazing how they made it blend in to the hillside so well. It is the exact color of the rocks below it. The mountain itself has some artifacts in bedded in it. The castle was built by the Muslim’s in the ninth century but there are things found in the hills left from the Bronze Age, the Iberian times and the Roman Empire times. The castle has quite the history of take overs by Alfonso X and then James II of Aragon. Of course the French and English had there day here too.
There are other sites to see in this city though. There are some great accommodations in the hotels Alicante has around the city. They will all have information on some of the things to do while you stay. Get a good map and plan your day trips. The Basilica of Santa Maria is a beautiful place to see. It is the oldest active church in the city and is exquisite with its Gothic style. The well preserved San Nicolas Cathedral is also a great holy site. It was built between 1613 and 1662. Designed by Agustin Bernardino and built over an ancient mosque.
The Gravina Museum of Fine Art is also located in Alicante. It is an old historical monument devoted to painting and sculptures of artist from Alicante. Most of the art work was done in the sixteenth century up to the early twentieth century. You can see the works of artists like Francisco Salzilla and Vincente Lopez Portana.
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