Acueducto Romano de Sexi

Acueducto Romano de Sexi
Between avocados, old stone and a hint of doubt
Don't expect a pompous monument with tourists in guide formation. This is Almuñécar. Here a two-thousand-year-old aqueduct just pops up among the mangoes, market stalls and modern apartment buildings. Some brick arches, weathered and crooked, but still sturdy. The Acueducto de Sexi - Roman, they say. Or is it?
A history full of cracks
The official reading: around the 1st century AD, the Romans built a seven-kilometer water pipeline here to provide fresh water to their city of Sexi Firmum Iulium. From the mountains, along today's Torrecuevas, into the city. But archaeologists are not quite sure if everything is truly Roman. Some parts look more like Renaissance work. Is that a bad thing? No. It's still insane.
Where to be
The easiest place to view the aqueduct is in the La Carrera district, right in the old town. Here a reconstructed section runs alongside a Roman bathhouse - another find. More in the mood for nature? Head to Torrecuevas, where the aqueduct winds through the green plain like a stone snake. Think: avocados, chirimoyas, and above them a row of arches that once carried water.
Extra beautiful at sunset
The stretch near the Parque del Acueducto - aka el Cercado de la Santa Cruz - is the most impressive. High, photogenic, and overlooking the sea. Sometimes theater is performed here, among the old arches. Classical, of course. Suits the place well.