The Imperial Palm – Huerto del Cura Elche
Elche Huerto del Cura: One of my favourite places to visit in the Costa Blanca city of Elche, is the Hurto del Cura or Priest’s Garden, this hidden gem is especially attractive on a hot summers day as the hundreds of palm trees there provide some welcome shade from the scorching sun.
Surrounded by busy city streets, this is a strangely tranquil place, the stone walls encircling it, blocking out much of the city noise. Inside you will find hundreds of species of palm trees of varying sizes, culminating in the huge eight armed Imperial Palm, the pride of the garden, which is some 170 years old and is supported by metal straps which prevent it from collapsing under its huge eight tons of weight. Pretty little lily padded ponds trickle with water and an amazing cactus garden with some immense specimens adds to the pleasure.
Pop into the little shop an you can purchase your own date palm to take home, maybe one day you will get some dates of your own, in the mean time purchase some dates which have been cultivated on-site, delicious. From the Huerto del Cura you can easily walk to many of the other attractions of Elche, so it is a great place to break up a days visit, cool down and chill out for a while, before continuing your visit. This fine garden of course celebrates the history of the palm tree in Elche, and surrounding the city you will certainly not miss the huge palm forest which dates back to the times of the ancient Phoenicians who settled here over two thousand years ago.