Room I
MARQ
The territory and the origin of the huerta
Two thousand years of relations between Alicante and the sea, and the shaping of the farmland fed by the Tibi reservoir.
Interactive Tour
FRAME 001 / 181
Independent citizen project · Unofficial
Torres de la Huerta de Alicante — Centro de Interpretación · Torre Sarrió
Civic portal for the cultural heritage of the Watchtowers of Alicante's Huerta
Towers of Memory
Historical narration & soundscape
Scroll down to enter
Inside Torre Sarrió
Welcome to the Interpretation Centre
The museum facility hosts three thematic sections on territory, coastal defence, and the ennoblement of the Alicante Huerta.
Exterior
Interior
Heritage figures
The largest defensive orchard system
Milestone 1
1594
Year inscribed on the talus
«PERE LLOPIS»
Milestone 2
25
Towers still standing
of the 43 documented
Milestone 3
3
Floors and terrace
over a vaulted semi-basement
Milestone 4
2026
Opening of the centre
8 July · City Hall + MARQ
A tower, a network, a landscape
The stone memory of Alicante's huerta.
Built in 1594 by Pere Llopis —whose name and date can still be read carved on the talus—, the Torre Sarrió is part of the network of watch, refuge and defence towers raised between the 15th and 17th centuries in Alicante's Huerta to face the raids of the Barbary corsairs.
Restored in 2010 under the direction of the architect Màrius Bevià after decades of neglect and fires, the tower was rehabilitated in two phases up to 2021. In July 2026 it opened to the public as the Interpretation Centre of the Watchtowers of the Huerta, a joint project of Alicante City Hall, the Provincial Council and MARQ, funded by Next Generation funds and the Tourism Sustainability Plans.
BIC · 1997Historical Monument
Torre Sarrió in Albufereta
Central hub of the heritage circuit next to Lucentum archaeological site.
Museum Space
What you will see in the Interpretation Centre: three thematic blocks
Information on the venue: The following description outlines the exhibition space installed in Torre Sarrió by Alicante City Council, MARQ and Fundación MARQ, with museography by Rocamora Diseño y Arquitectura.
Room II
MARQ
Towers, refuge and defence
Loopholes, machicolations and battlements against the corsair. Daily life under threat and the alerts passed between towers.
Room III
MARQ
The ennobling of the huerta
Stately houses built alongside the towers: when defence became a symbol of prosperity and status.
«The wealth of our huerta had a counterpart in the raids of North African corsairs: the farmers needed to protect themselves, and so this unique network of towers took shape.»
⚔Are there Moors on the coast?
When the Mediterranean was a frontier.
Barbarossa, Dragut, Arraéz… The names of the Ottoman and Barbary corso marked the life of the Alicante coast for two centuries. The towers replied with fire and smoke: a chain of alerts linking the huerta with the castle of Santa Bárbara.
The fear of an era, the memory of a people · Heritage that unites us
Events & NewsFacebook Sync
Events & Activities at Torre Sarrió
Cultural gatherings, conferences and educational activities organized at the Interpretation Centre and announced via our official channels.
Upcoming Event
Sun18OCT
«Castle Route» Cycle: Guided Visit to Torre Sarrió with Archaeologist José Luis Menéndez Fueyo
10:30 - 13:30 CESTTorre Sarrió, Albufereta (Alicante)
Organizers:Juan Gil-Albert Institute of Culture (Provincial Council of Alicante)•Official announcement
The «Castle Route» cycle by the Juan Gil-Albert Institute of Culture offers a specialist guided tour of Torre Sarrió (Heritage Site, 1594), today the Huerta Towers Interpretation Centre, led by renowned archaeologist Dr. José Luis Menéndez Fueyo. The visit brings together architectural analysis and historical defence context. Advance registration is required.
Activities Calendar
October2026
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18 OCT10:30 - 13:30 CEST
«Castle Route» Cycle: Guided Visit to Torre Sarrió with Archaeologist José Luis Menéndez Fueyo
Daily News & Updates
Official Torre Sarrió Heritage PageRecent Facebook Posts & ChronicleFB Sync
25 Sept 2026Published on
Actualización fotográfica y de imagen oficial en la página de Facebook de Torre Sarrió.
25 Sept 2026Published on
Celebrada con gran éxito en Torre Sarrió la mesa redonda sobre «Arquitectura defensiva y torres de vigía: el sistema costero de Alicante y su contraparte en Orán», en colaboración con el Ayuntamiento de Alicante y Casa del Mediterráneo.
Where to find it
At the heart of the Albufereta.
The tower stands next to Glorieta Carolina Pascual, at the corner of Miriam Blasco and Vía Parque, a few metres from the Roman site of Lucentum and Albufereta beach. In the 16th century it stood on the road linking the Águilas and Santiago towers with the Ciprés tower.
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Alicante TRAMLucentum stop (L1, L3, L4, L5)
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Lucentum350 metres walk
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Open surroundingsPark open 24 hours
📍
La AlbuferetaGlorieta Carolina Pascual
Views of Albufereta and Alicante's orchard (Aerial photo: IGN / ICV - PNOA · CC-BY 4.0)
Documentation & Methodology
Documentation, sources and methodology
The contents of this portal have been compiled through specialized bibliography, public records, institutional research sources, and authorized materials for cultural and educational dissemination.
José Luis Menéndez Fueyo
«Coastal Sentinels: Defense and Orchard Towers of Alicante / Conquering Fear, Dominating the Coast»
Provincial Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ)
José Manuel Pérez Burgos
«Direction of archaeological interventions and Integral Heritage management»
City Council of Alicante
Màrius Bevià i García and Santiago Varela Botella
«Architectural restoration projects and monographs on defensive architecture»
Heritage conservation architects
Antonio Campos Pardillos
«Topoguide of the Orchard Towers and educational cultural dissemination proposals»
City Council of Alicante
Armando Alberola Romá
«The Tibi Dam and the irrigation system in the Alicante Orchard»
Juan Gil-Albert Alicante Institute of Culture
Elías Gomis
«Photographic documentation and epigraphic reading of Pere Llopis's foundation inscription (1594)»
Alicante heritage research and dissemination
ARPA Patrimonio S.L. / MARQ
«Archaeological intervention report, planimetry and stratigraphic analysis at Torre Sarrió (2009-2010)»
General Directorate of Valencian Cultural Heritage
Rocamora Diseño y Arquitectura
«Museographic project and exhibition design for the Interpretation Centre of the Huerta Towers»
Alicante City Council / Provincial Council of Alicante
IGN / ICV (PNOA)
«Territorial cartography and aerial orthophotography of the Huerta of Alicante and Albufereta (CC-BY 4.0)»
National Geographic Institute / Cartographic Institute of Valencia
Research, Musealization, and Archive Credits
This portal gives special recognition to the scientific work of archaeologists José Luis Menéndez Fueyo and José Manuel Pérez Burgos, restoration architects such as Màrius Bevià i García, ARPA Patrimonio, Rocamora Arquitectura, photographer Elías Gomis, and public archives that have contributed to preserving the memory of Alicante's Orchard Towers (Arts. 32 and 35.2 Spanish Intellectual Property Law).
Archaeology and Scientific Documentation
Archaeological Report & Naval Iconography
Technical planimetries, historic ship graffiti, and stratigraphic reports from the official ARPA Patrimonio intervention preserved at the MARQ Museum.
Heritage StatusBIC MonumentR-I-51-0009729
Base InscriptionPERE LLOPIS 1594West batter epigraph
Base MorphologyAsymmetrical Batter2.40 m on South and West
Stone QuarrySierra San JuliánRough ashlar & limestone
Naval IconographyNaval Graffiti in Tower Plaster
Plate L 1.2 · Conservation Laboratory Survey
Freehand incised drawings uncovered on the tower's interior lime plaster. They rigorously depict 16th-17th century lateen-rigged galleys and corsair rowing fustas navigating the coastline.
- Eyewitness visual evidence of defensive watchkeeping against North African corsair raids.
- Highly accurate nautical rigging details from the Mediterranean Renaissance.
- Cataloged by the ARPA Patrimonio team and archived at the MARQ Archaeological Museum.
ARPA Patrimonio / MARQ (2009-2010 Campaign)
Structure & HydraulicsBattered Wall Section and Cistern
Survey Drawing No. 8 · Stratigraphic Section
Cross-section documenting the 0.60 m foundation depth, the 2.40 m battered talud wall, and the subterranean cistern connected to the estate rainwater network.
- Protective batter present on South and West facades (vertical walls on North and East).
- Stratum UE 23: Original compacted earthen floor coeval with 1553-1594 construction.
- Rainwater cistern built synchronously with the vestibule's segmental stone arch.
ARPA Patrimonio / MARQ · Archaeological Report 2009-2010
Heritage MonumentTorre Sarrió: Architecture and Masonry
Sierra de San Julián Limestone Ashlar
Exterior elevation showing load-bearing rubble masonry walls, quoined dressed-ashlar corners, and the adjoining farmhouse portico.
- Foundational epigraphic inscription «PERE LLOPIS 1594» carved into the western talud.
- Interior vertical circulation via a cantilevered «Mallorcan-style» stone spiral staircase.
- Declared Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC) code 03.32.014-032.
Valencian Cultural Heritage Department / Official BIC Archive