The town of Santa Pola, in the Alicante region, is traditionally a fishing village, and is located in an ecologically diverse area on the Mediterranean coast.
This section of the Costa Blanca presents visitors with excellent beaches overlooking the salt flats, the Sierra and Cape Santa Pola, a paradise for nature lovers.
Located only 20 kilometers away from Alicante, Santa Pola port was already known during Roman times. Nowadays, the city preserves its fishing charm of the city, which has not been undermined by the modern infrastructure dedicated to the enjoyment of its climate and the beaches of the Mediterranean.
The 21st century brought a modern infrastructure to the port, facilitating the mooring of fishing and sporting vessels, as well as the loading of salt.

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Inlets and white sandy beaches, excellent for diving and windsurfing, are some of the treasures of this coast. The beaches of Levante, Varadero and Gran Playa, as well as the coves of Santiago Bernabeu, are highly recommended.
Port Santa Pola was the port of Elche during Roman times, when it was called Portus Illicitanus. The archaeological remains of this period are located in what is now the new suburb of Ensanche de Poniente. At Casa del Palmeral, it is possible to see the layout of the rooms around a courtyard in a noble villa from the 4th century BC.
In the fish market, the stands of Mercado de Abastos and Casa del Mar (Casa del Mar) show visitors how this fishing port is used, and can embark on a ship to visit the neighboring island of Tabarca, where there is a walled fort and a diversified marine reserve.
In the center of the town of Santa Pola, there is a fortress, the castle built under orders of Philip II to repel attacks by pirates and privateers.
The square floor flat is guarded by two ramparts and two towers, an underground reservoir and a chapel. This magnificent place is now the Cultural Center of the city, which houses the Museum of the Sea, the Fishing Museum, the Municipal Exhibition Hall and the Chapel Virgen de Loreto. This was also the site of the Municipal Aquarium, which has already moved to its own facilities where you can see species such as the loggerhead turtle, and many others.
The defense system, dating back to the 16th century, continues with three towers, one erected in the salt mines (Tamarit tower), one in the south-eastern area of ​​the Serra (Tower) and the last one, the Atalayola tower, in the top of which the current lighthouse was built.
The relief of the region of Baix Vinalopo, in which Santa Pola is located, is marked by the Serra de Baix Vinalopo, which extends to the sea. Arribas encompass a good number of local beaches, dunes and moving lagoons, in a wetland where salinas spread around freshwater pools.
The Sapais Santa Pola Nature Reserve is the former wetland of Elche, where the salt mines were installed.
Sites of fauna and flora have adapted to these special conditions of humidity and high salinity, being able to be found colonies of Flamingos.

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Given the coastal diversity of the Costa Blanca, it is not difficult to guess what the most common product is on the recipes of Santa Pola. Among the exquisite seafood of the region, it is worth noting the excellent taste of shrimp, crayfish and red prawns.
Rice is an ever present dish of the region, used for accompaniment such as cooked fish, cooked in squid ink or seafood paella (seafood rice).
Among the different fish stews, there are delicious local recipes such as monkfish, stewed choco and fish casserole.
Sea bass and sea bass are prepared in the oven while the smaller fish are fried in a generous amount of olive oil.
In order to finish tasting the local cuisine, nothing better than homemade cookies, puff pastry filled with pumpkin jam or ice cream, especially "butter" flavored ice cream.

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With a typical Mediterranean climate, Santa Pola enjoys an ideal temperature with average values ​​of 25 º C in August, 12 º C in January and an average annual temperature of 18 º C. These data allow to consider that for most of the year the weather in Santa Pola is spring and make this municipality an ideal place for leisure and recreation all the time.

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