The Watchtowers of the Huerta

A few metres from Torre Sarrió, in the heart of the Albufereta district, stands Torre Santiago, one of the most singular defensive constructions in Alicante's huerta system. Built between the 16th and 17th centuries, it shares with its neighbour the same free-standing square-prism typology, but holds a singular story of destruction and rebirth.

For centuries it was part of the visual chain of alerts against the Barbary corsairs: its sentinels watched the coast while the surrounding estates produced vineyards and cereals. However, unlike other towers that survived through continuous use, Torre Santiago was reduced to severe ruins in the 20th century: only the ashlars of three of its corners remained standing like isolated pillars, while the fourth corner lay largely collapsed on the ground. The acquisition of the estate for its rescue and reconstruction took place in the early 1980s, and by around 1990 it was substantially rebuilt and re-inhabited, not as a military bastion, but as a residential home preserving its historical stonework.

Its restoration returned dignity to its rubble and ashlar walls, its ground floor and three storeys, and a terrace that once again dominates the huerta landscape. One fact fascinates visitors and researchers: in its basement is preserved a sealed tunnel that, according to tradition, connected with the neighbouring Torre Sarrió, evidencing the strategic coordination between the two estates in times of danger.

Today, Torre Santiago is an indispensable witness to understanding the defensive architecture of the Campo de Alicante and the daily life of a huerta that had to fortify itself to protect its agricultural wealth.