Calle de Las Setas (The Mushroom Street)

In 2013, part of Alicantes’s San Francisco Street was transformed into a whimsical, fantasy wonderland of yellow brick roads, toadstool houses, and towering mushrooms.

The purpose of this initiative was to rejuvenate the street and help the businesses in the area during a state of economic decline. The mushroom statues are the work of artist Sergio Martinez, and cost the City of Alicante around €66,000.

Shop owners in the street are grateful that the mushroom statues and the rest of the decorations were added, since it has meant a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to their shops. Many locals seem to have forgotten the original name of the street “San Francisco” and refer to it as “Mushroom Street.”