Despite living here, not many of us know much about the origins of Alicante. Fortunately, our friends in Mascarat had prepared something to help us fill in the gaps: a trail from MARQ, Aliante’s award winning archeological museum, to Lucentum, one of the most important archeological sites in the whole of the Valencia region.

After visiting the exhibits in the museum, we headed off across the Sierra Grossa and along the Alicante coastline to Lucentum, where a guided visit helped us to discover its secrets.

Perched on top of a grassy hill overlooking the sea and granted city status by the first Roman emperor, Augustus, the site manages to preserve what was once the whole city of Lucentum/Alicante (the city of light), 25000sq/m of urban life dating back as far as 500BC.

Occasionally used today as the atmospheric venue for concerts on hot summer nights, Lucentum – easily reached by tram in 10 minutes from the city centre – is well worth a visit if you feel like stepping back into the past and discovering one of Alicante’s hidden treasures.