Hotels in Valencia, Spain

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Valencia

The Community of Valencia comprises the provinces of Valencia, Castellón and Alicante. With 500 kilometres of Mediterranean coast, the climate is generally warm and dry, though Autumn is known for strong rainfalls.

The Arabs undoubtedly left the strongest influence in terms of agriculture and craftsmanship. It is a place of fiestas – such as Las Fallas, and the Moorish or the Christian fiestas – all interesting and worth participating in.

Valencia, the capital, is a cosmopolitan city, with numerous interesting things for a visitor to do, both socially and culturally. In Alicante one can find archaeological vestiges going back to the third millennium B.C. and remainders of the Iberian settlement from the end of the 5th century B.C.

Gastronomy The main ingredient of the area is rice, this is where Paella was invented, after all. Valencia has learned to control this very modest element to perfection and obtain the wonderful results, whether the cook adds a veritable army of ingredients or practically nothing. Indeed, this is the home of the world famous paella, the secret of which lies in the unique texture of the grain after cooking.

The grain is loose, dry and soft at the same time. The next priority is the flavour from the huge range of ingredients. In addition to rice there are different fish dishes, seasoned with ali-ipebre, garlic, olive oil and paprika sauce, which is very popular in the region. This sauce is served with eels, which are prepared on the grill or roasted over ash wood. Red mullet and sepia are very popular.

The region also boasts a huge variety of white wines. Light and dry ones from Alabama, Cheste and Liria and olorosos from the same area; the reds and light reds are from Utiel and Requena. Horchata is a very popular local drink in Valencia made from chufas or earth almonds. It is a white, light, sweet and refreshing drink. History Valencia was founded by the Romans and has been home to various cultures over the centuries. Phoenicians, Greeks, Iberians, Visigoths and Moslems have all left their mark on the region.

In 1094, El Cid conquered the capital, although in 1102 it fell into the hands of the Almoravides (a tribe from Atlas which in mid-century XI established a vast empire in western Africa and managed to control all the Arab-Spain, from 1093 to 1148). A century later, Jaime I of Aragon, took the territory from the Moslems and the Reign of Valencia is founded, with its characteristic legislative forum, which lasted five hundred years.

During the XV and XVI century, Valencia became one of the big Mediterranean economies. Important artists and intellectuals were much in evidence: Ausias March, Joanot Martorell, Vicente Ferrer and two Roman Popes. In the War of Succession, the people of Valencia supported the Archduke Carlos of Austria. After loosing the battle of Almansa (1707) against Felipe V de Borbón, the King abolished the forums. The people demonstrated their courage against the Napoleon troops in the battles led by D. Carlos Maria Isidro de Bourbon and his descendants.

Once again, they tried to recover their government though unsuccessfully. It was not until Franco died that they became Autonomous.

Fiestas The Valencians love to celebrate. The large number of festivities, some religious and others historical, are testimony to this. Music, noise, gunpowder explosions, fantastic dress and customs all come together in the fiestas of Valencia.

Handicrafts Pottery and basket making take pride of place, with two important pottery centres in Manises (Valencia) and Alcora (Castellón) guaranteeing the quality of production. The glazed tiles from Manises are also still important. The white pottery from Agost (Alicante) is another example of a prosperous craft. Esparto, palm leaves, willow and cane are allused in basket making, furniture, mats, espardenyas and other objects. Gata de Gorgos and Elche (Alicante) are the main basket making centres in Valencia. The textile crafts centres are Morella (Castellón), Mula and Lorca (Murcia). The latter has embroidery workshops.

Monuments As befits such a historic and important region, Valencia boasts a number of very important monuments, not least in the capital city of Valencia itself. Its monumental centre lies around the Cathedral (begun in 1262) and includes La Almoina Square and the streets of La Corregería, Cabillers, Avellanas, Palau, Almirante, San Esteban, Conde de Olocau, Almudín, Cruílles, Navellos, Portal de Valldigna, Caballeros and Bany dels Pavesos, without forgetting the Roman forum, which seems to have been where La Virgen Square is today.

Alicante - The celebrations par excellence are Las Fallas, which developed from burning everything useless accumulated in the workshops, a tradition established by the Carpinters Guild in the 13th century. They are officially classified as of interest to international tourism and turn Valencia into a pedestrian area during the week of Las Fallas - 12th to 19th March. The other important Valencia celebration is the commemoration of the "reconquest" with mock fights between Moors and Christians. They are especially outstanding in the inland regions of Alicante province.

The most important ones taken place in Alcoy, 22-24 April, in Onteniente in the last week of August, in Bocairente in the first week of February and in Ollería in the second September week. In Holy Week, the processions of the Maritime District of Valencia are especially interesting, where performances of the Passion take place in the street. Handicrafts Pottery and basket making take pride of place, with two important pottery centres in Manises (Valencia) and Alcora (Castellón) guaranteeing the quality of production. The glazed tiles from Manises are also still important. The white pottery from Agost (Alicante) is another example of a prosperous craft. Esparto, palm leaves, willow and cane are allused in basket making, furniture, mats, espardenyas and other objects. Gata de Gorgos and Elche (Alicante) are the main basket making centres in Valencia. The textile crafts centres are Morella (Castellón), Mula and Lorca (Murcia). The latter has embroidery workshops.

Valencia used to be the capital of the former Kingdom of Valencia and is the third largest city in Spain. Splendid monuments of this history include the Metropolitan Cathedral, which was begun in 1262. The best-preserved remains of Islamic Valencia are "Abd al-Malik's Baths", more widely known as Baños del Almirante (Admiral's Baths). There are also some houses in Salinas St where traces of the Arab presence can still be found.

Other interesting examples of Gothic religious buildings are the14th century Church of San Juan del Hospital, which was built by the Hospitaliers of St John of Jerusalem. Civil Gothic is especially well represented by the 15th century Lonja de Mercaderes, an auction hall that is perhaps one of the best buildings in Europe. Modernist architecture includes the Bullring, Norte Station, Colón Market and the Central Market, one of the best in Europe.

A visit to the area of Els Ports is highly recommended. Using the ancient walled town of Morella as a base, the traveller may then head for other towns and villages in the area, which are also of great interest. Morella is situated some 106 km from Castellón and stands on a crag in the shape of a truncated cone. Travelling by car we come to yet another interesting town, this time in El Alto Maestrazgo. This is Benasal, a place famed for its medicinal mineral waters.

Continuing in the direction of Teruel the next stop after Benasal is Villafranca del Cid, a town with a flourishing industry in stockings and fine lingerie. The town is over 750 years old, evidence of which can be found in the Gothic construction housing the Town Hall, the Church and the Shrine of La Virgen del Llosar.

As for sports, the mild Valencia climate is ideal for all types of activities, especially those practiced in the open air including water sports, riding, mountaineering, hunting and fishing. The true Valencia sports are little known outside the region. The most important is undoubtedly La Pelota Valenciana, which is played in a court or in the streets of the villages.