Calpe Town Council plans to start the museumization of the Banys de la Reina archaeological site soon. This involves implementing phase A of the Master Plan for this archaeological site drawn up by the Alicante Provincial Council, and although it involves conducting initial actions, it is the starting signal for the site to be opened to the public.
The councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, together with the councillor for the Environment, Pere Moll, presented this project this morning at Fitur, which foresees actions that will try to ensure the protection and enhancement of the archaeological remains.
Specifically, the planned works include the cleaning of the site and its surroundings, both of solid waste and the clearing and removal of vegetation from the area. Excavation work will also be conducted on archaeological structures that have been exhumed in earlier excavations, as well as on the Domus Oriental, a 4th century villa and therefore one of the oldest on the site, which was also one of the first documented in the excavations conducted in the 1980s. In this sense, it is planned to consolidate the damaged walls and structures as well as to place gravels of different shades that will allow the visual identification of the intervened spaces, which will facilitate their interpretation. A cover will also be installed to protect the access to the hydraulic complex, which until now was unprotected.
In addition, basic itineraries will be established around the main archaeological sites. To this end, walkways will be replaced, and walkways will be installed to allow visits to the site.
In addition to all this, actions will be carried out on the boundaries of the site, such as the installation of a new fence on Avenida de Europa, with a more appropriate access to an enclave such as Banys de la Reina, and the repair and replacement of the existing damaged fence on the rest of the boundaries and on the façade of the Paseo Marítimo. In addition, updated graphic documentation will be produced with the use of new technologies linked to archaeological documentation.
This first phase also foresees the creation of an archaeological and restoration work area with prefabricated modules.
The project, which is financed with 439,388.69 euros by the Diputacón de Alicante, is about to be awarded and work is expected to begin shortly.
The site of Banys de la Reina is one of the most important archaeological sites of its kind in Roman Hispania. It dates from the end of the 2nd century A.D. to the 7th century A.D. and was declared a BIC in March 2022.