To spot Quijano Square, just look for a peaceful open space surrounded by charming white and yellow buildings with blue-trimmed windows and palm trees, all basking in the Spanish sun right ahead.
Now, let me whisk you back to the year 1840-imagine standing on these cobblestones when this very spot buzzed with the sound of hammers and shovels as the old San Agustín convent came tumbling down, making way for a square that would change names as much as a chameleon changes colors. What began as San Agustín Square, then became Campoamor Square, and finally, like someone settling into just the right pair of shoes, it became Plaza de Quijano in 1850. But the really juicy bits are buried right under your nose-archaeologists unearthed the remains of the old convent’s church, stretching out with a single, proud nave and side chapels, plus five mysterious crypts (and maybe even a sixth one hiding under a palm tree-talk about a secret garden!). Dig a little deeper and-surprise-there’s a stairway to a Civil War-era bomb shelter, all brick and concrete, waiting for memories of air raid sirens. Quijano Square is a layer cake of Alicante’s history: convent whispers, war stories, and, thanks to those swaying palms, the occasional falling date.
