La straordinaria casa di conchiglie in Costa Blanca

introduzione

Ever have one of those crazy ideas? “Imagine if…”

BENE, Manuel Fulleda was a man with one such idea. Upon his retirement in 1993, he began gathering shells from his closest beach and using them to decorate his house. Despite his wife initially opposing his idea, he continued with his quest until he had covered every section of his entire home with shells. Over 700,000 of them!

This house of shells, now known as the Casa de las Conchas, now stands as a unique curiosity and work of art, while still remaining his family home. Now into his 90s, he has refused offers to sell the house and has instead passed it onto his son, who has since 2023 opened sections of the house to visitors.

If you are looking for other fun and interesting things to see and do this summer, dai anche un'occhiata al nostro divertente elenco di attività estive per bambini in Costa Blanca.

Qui però, we are reviewing our visit to the extraordinary shell house in Costa Blanca, the Casa de las Conchas.

Where is the Casa de las Conchas?

The Casa de las Conchas is located in the town of Rojales, nel sud della Costa Bianca. The address is Calle Rodeo, 8, 03170 Reali, Alicante.

It is near a collection of artist’s cave houses on the edge of the town that host a monthly craft market and music jam on the first Sunday of every month.

What are the opening hours for Casa de las Conchas?

The Casa de las Conchas is open from Thursday – Monday, from 10am – 8pm (closed on Tuesday and Wednesday).

It is not necessary to pre-book. You can just turn up whenever you like.

What is the entry price for Casa de las Conchas?

Entry to the Casa de las Conchas is €5 per adult. Children are free.

Review of our visit to Casa de las Conchas

A sign in the street guides you to the entrance of the shell house, located at the top of a small, steep road on the edge of Rojales.

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the son of Manuel Fulleda, now the custodian of the house and the man behind the idea to allow visitors in. The income received has helped to restore sections of the house and also help to support his elderly parents, who still reside at the house. It is nice to be able to see the main man behind such a colossal effort, Manuel Fulleda himself, still rocking in his chair on the front terrace.

After reading some background literature on the history of the house, you are then free to explore the various sections. There are a few indoor, cave spaces and also several outdoor roof terraces that are open to the public.

The level of decoration and the dedication that it must have taken to complete such a mammoth task is impressive. It has been a real labour of love – especially since he collected all of the shells himself on foot and had to walk over 3km just to get to the beach!

As well as shells, small pieces of ceramics and mirrors have also been used to add some colour and sparkle to the decoration. It really is a very beautiful place to visit.

The house is not enormous, so don’t expect to be there for hours. Tuttavia, for an unusual distraction from the everyday, it is well worth a visit. It is definitely one of the most unique things to see in all of Costa Blanca. It is also possible to purchase drinks during your visit, and to sit and chat more with the owner about the incredible history of this shell house and his father who created it.

In sintesi

I love this kind of thing. One man’s incredible dedication to completing a giant task that I think most people at the time thought was quite foolish. BENE, the end result is beautiful. The fact that the house has stayed in the family and now been able to even provide them with some additional income just adds to the story.

We all enjoyed our visit. My kids had fun exploring and finding the different quirky sculpures lining the balustrades of the terraces. I was more than happy to support this family enterprise that is bringing smiles to the faces of all that come to visit.

If you’re looking for something unique to do with kids in Costa Blanca this summer, be sure to plan a visit to the Casa de las Conchas in Rojales.