Alicante’s Ministry of Culture revealed plans to revive archaeological missions this fall, converting the Parque de las Naciones site into a future outdoor museum. The expansion spans 15,000 square meters along Miriam Blasco Avenue, an area that borders a fairy-tale-like urban district surrounding the Ibero-Roman city of Lucentum. The complex includes a large Roman villa and additional industrial remains that contribute to the site’s historic narrative.
City officials noted that after completing the current cleaning and consolidation phase, which began a year ago, work will shift toward broader excavations and the process of museumizing the earliest remains. The update was accompanied by newly captured images from the period when the ruins first emerged publicly after clearance.
Today, the plot is markedly different. Overgrowth and vegetation have obscured much of the ground, turning the area into an unkept vacant lot. Cleanup and site clearance will need revisiting before new work can begin, with plans to resume in September, only a few weeks away. Attempts to reach Cultural Council Member Antonio Manresa for comment did not yield a firm update on potential delays, leaving the timeline uncertain.
Image captured this Monday at the site on Miriam Blasco Avenue — CORTES POLE
City officials indicate that the new archaeological intervention will be guided by a forthcoming agreement between the Municipality and the University of Alicante. The cooperation, set to begin in September, will mark the start of phase one of the project.
Last September, students from the University of Alicante conducted fieldwork at the site under the guidance of the University Research Institute of Archaeology and Historical Heritage. The team uncovered sections of the Roman villa in the fairy-urban zone of the ancient Lucentum. The Ministry of Culture pointed to nearby Tossal de Manises as the initial intervention site, coordinated by the Culture and Environment department. This formed the basis of the first diagnostic effort, known as Campaign 0. Patrimony President José Manuel Pérez Burgos and University of Alicante professor Jaime Molina Vidal contributed to the early findings.
According to Pérez Burgos, the site stands as an exceptional cultural asset that gained designation as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the 1990s. It remains one of the city’s major landmarks, a splendid Roman villa that exceeded initial expectations. The early diagnostic work revealed multiple structures identified through georadar, with the potential to yield substantial scientific insights in the future.
Picture of the site taken last November 2021 — ALEX DOMINGUEZ
The forthcoming phase will begin in autumn with an expanded excavation zone and the initiation of the museumization process. Earlier phases focused on an industrial area used for wine and oil production, sometimes referred to as torcularium, and included measures to stabilize the perimeter wall using gabion fill. The already documented structures will continue to be consolidated, while archaeological studies will broaden to possibly include both the industrial zone and portions of the adjacent residential area near the former industrial site. Officials anticipate continuing work in these areas when feasible, with careful attention to the broader urban context.
The ministry’s objective is to render the site visible as soon as possible while excavations proceed, with the ultimate aim of transforming the archaeological area into an open knowledge hub and a new cultural and tourism focal point. Early exploratory studies conducted in Alicante will support the broader planning effort. (City planning report, 2024) [citation attribution: Alicante City Planning Office].
Origins of the project
The archaeological activity in this district began in the 1980s under a program led by the former COPHIAM. Numerous surveys since then have highlighted a prominent Roman center occupying roughly 15,000 square meters within the site. The most notable findings include an area used for wine or oil production, thermal rooms, and a courtyard-centered layout with several rooms, among other structures not fully identified at the time. When excavations paused in 1990, routine interventions resumed later in the decade with a new round of work near the settlement. Those efforts laid the groundwork for today’s ongoing investigation and future conservation plans.