Work to install 40 giant subtropical fruit sculptures on four roundabouts in Almuñécar on Granada’s Costa Tropical has finished. The ‘Gran Eje Verde Project’ has transformed the appearance of four roundabouts in Almunecar, Granada’s Costa Tropical. These roundabouts are Capricho-Los Pinos; La Paloma, near Carbonell; the roundabout of the fire brigade and the Costa Banana, close to the Guardia Civil Station.

The councillor for public works and strategic projects, Francisco Rodríguez, explained that the project pays tribute to the agricultural importance of the area: “Almuñécar is the main producer of custard apples in Europe and is considered the birthplace of the avocado in Spain, as the first avocado farm to be planted in the country was located right next to the Los Pinos roundabout”.

The figures include five two-metre high pieces, eight one-metre high pieces and eleven 60-centimetre high pieces, as well as another 13 one-metre high pieces and 18 60-centimetre high pieces The flower beds have also been adapted to make way for the figures and palm trees, artistic lighting and large signs with the names “Almuñécar” and “Costa Tropical” have been installed at the Los Pinos roundabout.

During a visit to see the finished work, mayor of Almuñécar, Juanjo Ruiz Joya, said, “This project is a commitment we made and it was a necessity to improve the entrance to our municipality. We considered that a tourist town like Almuñécar has to give an image worthy of what it deserves.”

The mayor went on to explain that the town hall had the support of the Junta de Andalucía through the Plan de Sostenibilidad Turística en Destino and the European funding from Next Generation funds as key to making the project a reality. The project consisted of two lots, each with a budget totaling 259 800 euros. The first was the civil works and landscaping and cost 171,050 Euros. The second was the installation of large tropical fruit figures and decorative elements.