Elche Is Famous For It's Palm Grove And Is Close Yo Our Apartment In Guardamar

Elche is well known for its palm grove, the largest in Europe. There are more than 200,000 palm trees to date covering a surface area of 430 hectares.

The palm grove was created by the Phoenicians in the 6th century BC taking advantage of a warm climate and an ingenious irrigation system.

The female palms produce dates in the winter, and the bleached palms of the male trees are used for handicrafts and in festivals all over the region.

The palm trees can be as tall as 30 meters and their pruning and upkeep requires very skilful hands. Specialists are required to climb to the tops of the trees and cut off the damaged palms. The specialists used for this task are in great demand all over the region.

When visiting Elche you must visit the Priest's garden, a magnificently cool haven of peace and tranquility, with it's great variety of cacti, including the infamous "mother-in-law's cushion" and especially the imperial palm tree with it's seven branches. Other places of interest in the town are the municipal park, the archaeological museum and the basilica Santa Maria.

On August 4th, 1987 during an archaeological dig for roman artefacts, the bust of a woman was uncovered (The Lady of Elche). The sculpture donned a very elegant hairstyle indeed. Suspected to be a priestess or a noble woman, the original bust is now on display in the archaeological museum in Madrid, but replicas are placed strategically around the town.