The Calle de las Setas is one of Alicante’s most popular streets. Despite its original name, Calle San Francisco, it was formerly one of the city’s darkest streets but has since become a must-see for all travellers.
Artist José MarÃa Escrivá produced ten papier-mâché mushrooms and two small dwellings that pique the interest of children. These massive mushrooms, some with faces and little creatures on top, are surrounded by a whimsical and surreal setting. The pedestrian walkway, like the Yellow Brick Road, was painted with yellow tiles and accented with green. Children’s play areas were created to complete the scene.
Since its inception during Mayor Sonia Castedo’s reign, it has been a major success in Alicante. Hundreds of influencers and visitors have shared millions of images on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, highlighting one of the most unique streets in Spain, if not the world. Everyone is astounded and keeps a record of their visit to Alicante.
Mushroom Street has been so successful and popular that it has degraded in recent years. Broken tiles, certain places without paint, and the interiors of the small cottages (which had to be padlocked) have gotten smelly. In short, the effects of overcrowding needed to be addressed.
The Alicante City Council is already on board. Yesterday, Tuesday June 10th, the Local Government Board approved the ‘Reurbanisation Works of Calle San Francisco’ project, which aims to adapt and improve Mushroom Street while also restoring and repairing its aspects.
The work will primarily consist of cleaning and repairing the pavement in sections, the first of which is approximately 40 metres long and closest to Plaza Calvo Sotelo; painting the sidewalks and centres; dismantling, restoring and repairing street elements (ten mushrooms and two small houses); and replacing children’s play areas (two slides) that were removed to make way for new ones.
The execution budget for the works is 92,431.34 euros + VAT, or a little more than 111,000 euros. The project has a three-month completion period.
As a result, Alicante will have a new Mushroom Street that is as shiny and gorgeous as the previous one.
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