Huerto del Cura
A botanical garden.
Pedro J Pacheco — CC BY-SA 4.0 · chisloup — CC BY 3.0 · Superchilum — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Superchilum — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pedro J Pacheco — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Palmeral of Elche is the name for a system of date-palm orchards in the city of Elche in Alicante province, Spain; its Huerto del Cura garden lies less than a kilometre from the city centre in a straight line. The palms were first planted in Roman times. In the 10th century the Muslim rulers of al-Andalus replanted them in rectangular plots called huertos and built the largest sections of the city's canal network. In 2000 UNESCO listed the Palmeral as a World Heritage Site. Thousands of tall palms stand in rows within the city, shading paths, gardens and canals; the municipal park has fountains and tiled basins, and from the rooftops the palms look like a green forest among the houses. The best-known grove is the Huerto del Cura, a botanical garden with a famous many-trunked palm. A walking route links the groves, and there is a museum of the Palmeral. The shade makes walking pleasant even on hot days.
A botanical garden.
Fountains and tiles.
A shady walk.
Elche, Alicante province, Spain
Mostly, yes.
Half a day.