Behind the Albufereta beach, in the area of Tossal de Manises, you can find one of the mayor archaeological sites of the Valencian community – the remains of the Roman city of Lucentum. This one of Alicante museums is an open-air. It is situated 3 kilometres away from the city center, in a triangular area between Villajoyosa Avenue, Colonia Romana street and Zeus street. The entrance is behind a local school, Colegio Público la Albufereta. You can reach it by bus (No.21 – bus stop Gasolinera; No.22 –bus stop Edificio Brisas; No.9 – bus stop Colegio Albufereta) or by tram (stations La Albufereta or Miriam Blasco – tram lines L1, L3 and L4).
Within the ancient city you can see large parts of its protective walls and the rests of the Roman forum, two public baths, necropolis, private villas with mosaic floor and many other buildings along the main streets. The settlement has Iberian origins, but enjoyed the most prosperous period during the Roman rule.
During the rule of Octavian Augustus, Lucentum was elevated to the status of municipality. However, the next three centuries brought changes in local commercial routes and other internal problems. Lucentum experienced a long and steady decline. The city was finally abandoned by the end of the 3rd century A.D.
Opening hours:
From June to September: 09:00 – 12:00 and 19:00 – 22:00
The rest of the year: 10:00 – 14:00 and 16:00 – 18:00
Closed on Sunday afternoon and Monday all day long.
