Windmill roundabout, Benalmádena, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

The Windmill roundabout, known as Molinillos, is a roundabout on the upper promenade above Santa Ana beach in Benalmádena, on Spain's Costa del Sol. It is decorated with a sculpture of many colourful windchimes that spin and catch the sun. The name points back to a Roman villa that once stood in this area.

The story behind it

Most people assume the roundabout got its name from the sculpture, but it is the other way round. The land around Santa Ana beach was once part of a Roman villa called Molinillos, which means small windmills in Spanish. When the roundabout was designed, the windmill sculpture was chosen as a playful nod to that old name.

The Roman connection is not just a label. Across the street there is a heritage centre with artefacts from Roman times, and it explains how the villa made olive oil. So a spinning modern sculpture sits right beside one of the oldest chapters of Benalmádena's story.

What to look for

• The cluster of brightly coloured windchimes, which turn in the breeze and flash in the sunlight.
• The way the sculpture sits in a low stretch of road, so drivers and walkers can spot it from a distance as they head towards the beach.
• The view down towards Santa Ana beach, one of the sandy beaches strung along the Benalmádena promenade.
• The heritage centre across the street, where the Roman artefacts and the story of the villa's olive oil are on display.

Tips for your visit

• You only need a few minutes at the roundabout itself, so treat it as a stop on a longer walk rather than a destination on its own.
• Visit on a bright, breezy day, when the windchimes move most and catch the light best.
• Pair it with a stroll on the promenade and a swim or a rest at Santa Ana beach, which is close by.
• If the Roman heritage centre across the street interests you, check current opening hours before you go.

See it on a quest

The roundabout is one of the places you reach on foot on Don Quixote in Benalmadena - The miraculous pouch, a self-guided walk through the area played on your phone. The app leads you from stop to stop, tells you about each place as you arrive, and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the sculpture much more closely than you would just passing by. There is no guide and no group to join, and you can start whenever you like. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.