Take a look around-you’re now in the Portal de Elche, a true heart of Alicante! Imagine stepping back in time to the 1800s, when this place buzzed with life as a central watering hole and gathering spot. In fact, locals would stroll in just to fill their buckets and catch up on gossip-sort of like modern coffee shops, but with a lot more water and a lot fewer cappuccinos.
Over the years, the name of this square changed as much as a chameleon on a rainbow: from Plaza de las Horcas-sounds a bit spooky, right?-to Real de Fernando VII, then Plaza de la Constitución, and even Plaza del Generalísimo. But, like a boomerang, it finally circled back to its original name, Portal de Elche.
You’re probably noticing the four massive fig trees, Ficus macrophylla, around you. These leafy giants are over six meters thick and protected by law-move over, superheroes, Alicante’s got tree-heroes! Picture tiny presses and news kiosks on each corner, and at the center, a whimsical kiosk-this is a replica, as the original was sadly torn down in the 1970s to make room for a fountain that once sparkled with Eusebio Sempere’s “Like a Star” sculpture. So next time someone talks about Alicante’s hotspots, you’ll know this plaza’s been at the center of history, art, and a lot of thirsty conversations!
