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Province of Valencia
The largest of the three which go to make up the Valencian
community. It is situated in the centre of the spanish Mediterranean
coastline. It overlooks the spacious Gulf of Valencia and
is skirted at the back by a group of medium-high mountains
and rolling plains leading to the lands of Aragon and Castile-La
Mancha. It is opposite the Balearic islands and equidistant
from the country's two major decision-taking centres: Madrid
and Barcelona. Valencia is identified with the Mediterranean
Sea because the culture deriving from the old Mare Nostrum
is manifest in its patterns of social behaviour.
It is the administrative capital of the Valencian community
and the centre of the reagion of L'Horta. It is the most densely
populated town in the Valencian community as it is encircled
by a wide belt of medium-sezed municipal districts which form
an unbroken built-up area with an average density of 1,600
inhabitants per square kilometre. Sightseeing around the city
begins in the old quarter. Until the mid-nineteenth century,
it was defended by a wall, the inner route of the number five
bus. Still standing as proof are the graceful Torres de Serranos,
the spacious Torres de Quart and some remains of the apron
wall in the basement of the Valencia institute of Modern Arts.
The most outstanding artistic heritage is to be found in the
districts of Seu and Xerea, where the marks left by the Romans
lie hidden beneath Arab ruins and modern churches and palaces.
Plaza de la Virgen
The Mercat district took shape around the commercial life
of the city's inhabitants. Accordingly, its two most emblematic
buildings are used for trading purposes. The Gothic building
of La Lonja, declared by UNESCO as a heritage of humanity,
features a beautiful columned room where the old tables on
which trading transactions were finalised are still in use
today. Outside the destroyed wall grew the Valencia of the
bourgeoisie, with its wide pavements, broad landscaped thoroughfares
and countless instances of modernist architecture. On the
other side of the Turia's old riverbed lie the nursery gardens,
along with the Fine Arts Museum and the ultramodern part of
the city which, on account of its size, serves as a nexus
between the coastal townships and the old quarter. The futuristic
face of the city is mirrored on the old riverbed through the
Gulliver Children's park and the leisure and culture complex.,
Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciencies. Life in the city spreads
down to the seafront with the harbour are and the beaches
of Las Arenas and La Malvarrosa.
Fiestas
and celebrations in Valencia
 The
calendar of popular fiestas is rich and varied in Valencia.
Each part of the year has its own celebration and recollection
of tradition. The bonfires of San Antonio Abad come fisrt
on the calendar, with burning pyres of firewood and the blessing
of animals. Of particular note is the one held in Canals.
On March 19th, the Fallas dedicated to St. Joseph take over
the streets of the capital and of over 60 other towns in the
province. On the appointed day, huge catafalques bearing cardboard
figures are erected, to be burnt four days later amid a blaze
of fireworks. These are the fiestas which attract the largest
number of spectators and arouse most interest among visitors,
drawn by the colourfulness of the Passacaglia, the offering
to the Virgen of the helpless and the fireworks display.
 ...and
of course, the famous Tomato fiesta "La Tomatina",
is another fiesta near Valencia. |
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