Valencia
need to know
(
7
)
structures make up the City of Arts
and Sciences
(
2
)
architects designed it: Santiago Calatrava
and Félix Candela
(
3
)
different places are named Valencia: the
region, the province and the city
easyJet
flies to Valencia from Lisbon and London
Gatwick. See our insider guide on page
140.
Book online at easyJet.com
easyJet Holidays
Two nights room only at the four-star
Aparthotel Albufera, departing on 3
February, from London Gatwick, costs from
£95 per person. easyJet.com/holidays*
Confortel Aqua 3
Near the City of Arts and Sciences, this is
perfectly placed to enjoy the city’s leisure
amenities. Book at hotels.easyJet.com
With all this talk of modern architecture, it would
be easy to believe that there was nothing to recommend
the city prior to Barberá’s intervention. In fact, some
of Valencia’s most beautiful structures date back many
hundreds of years, providing a visible reminder of an
illustrious history. In the Centro Histórico, you can see the
remarkable 13th-century Valencia Cathedral, a mixture
of Romanesque, gothic and baroque, built on the site of
what was once the main mosque when the Moors were in
occupation in the 8th century. Look out for the cathedral’s
Renaissance frescos (commissioned by Rodrigo Borgia),
two Goyas and what is claimed to be the Holy Grail.
In the 15th century, Valencia became an economic
powerhouse, prospering thanks to trade around the
Mediterranean, and the imposing UNESCO listed Silk
PHOTO
GETTY
*
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Exchange is testament to this. Built between 1482
and 1533, it’s among the finest examples of civilian
gothic architecture in Europe, with imposing turreted
battlements that have long made it another of the city’s
most popular attractions. But even this can’t compare to
the rococco former palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas in
the centre of town, which has wowed visitors ever since
the last reconstruction in 1867, and is now a fine museum
devoted to ceramics.
It may not have the sweeping curves of glass and
steel that mark out the City of Arts and Sciences, but the
extravagant alabaster entrance, cascading sculptures
and lavish interior produce an almost identical effect on
anyone who sees it – forcing them to look upwards and
marvel in magnificent awe. Some things never change.
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