The Alicante Provincial Council and the Calp Town Hall have organised this afternoon an open day for the public to explain the future Master Plan to enhance the archaeological site of the Queen's Baths. The main objective of this initiative, which is supported by the MARQ, is to consolidate and promote this important enclave as a cultural and tourist reference point in the Mediterranean..
The President of the Provincial Government and Mayor of the municipality, César SánchezWith this meeting we take another step towards the master plan of 'Els Banyets de la Reina', a future project that will allow us to plan the actions to be carried out in this important site to preserve, disseminate and consolidate it as a solid product of the cultural heritage, not only of Calp, but also of the Marina Alta region and the whole province of Alicante", he explained. The event will also be attended by the deputy of Architecture, Jaume Lloretas well as councillors and local authorities.
Specialists and technicians have detailed during the session the characteristics and singularities of this extraordinary archaeological site. Specifically, the following have been involved Ana Ronda and Alicia LujánThe directors of the excavation campaigns in the area, who will also form part of the technical teams of the Master Plan, discussed the history of the research of the site, its description and importance. In addition, the director of the Department of Architecture of the Diputación de Alicante and the technical director of the Provincial Archaeological Museum, Rafael Pérez and Manuel Olcinawho will coordinate the work of drawing up the Plan, respectively, stressed the importance of recovering this valuable cultural heritage, explaining to those attending the talks the object, purpose and starting points of the Master Plan. Likewise, during the course of the talks, it was also made clear the heritage importance and social value the enclave, as well as the technical procedures required to improve its conservation and to turn it into a archaeological reference park.
The Master Plan, in which the areas of Culture and Architecture will be involved with the assistance of of the Archaeological Museum of Alicante and the MARQ FoundationThe project is part of the line of cooperation and technical assistance that the provincial institution offers to the different town councils to preserve and disseminate the rich heritage of Alicante's municipalities.
The Baños de la Reina is a Roman "vicus", that is to say, a large grouping of luxury Roman villas (2nd-3rd centuries AD) dedicated to rest, residence and leisure by the sea. Thus, each villa had its own thermal baths and its rooms and decorated interior spaces were equipped with paving and mosaics with materials brought from all over the Mediterranean.
They also had fish ponds for rearing and subsequent consumption, in the style of the great roman villas from the time of the Empire. In this enclave it is worth mentioning the Ferris wheelone of the best hydraulic infrastructures of the Roman period that have been preserved in the Valencian Community, which makes the site one of the most important archaeological areas in our territory.
