Valencia's Geography
The autonomous region of Valencia is made up of three provinces which occupy the central portion of Spain's east coast: Castellón in the north, Valencia in the center, and Alicante in the south. It is the fourth largest region in Spain with an area of 23,000 square km, and has the fourth largest population, with four million inhabitants. Besides Spanish, in certain areas the people speak another language: Valencian, which is a regional dialect of Catalan.

Along the vacation mecca of Valencia's magnificent Mediterranean beaches known as the Costa Blanca, towns from Denia to Alicante boast year round sunny climate, prolific hotels and sizzling nightlife which has made the area famously popular with tourists.

Apartments and villas for sale in Costa Blanca - Sunshine Estates offer a wide selection of houses for sale including both new developments and re-sales.

Away from the coast, the region of Valencia has a rich and varied hinterland. There are vast agricultural tracts on an alluvial plain "...where the soil never sleeps," which have earned Valencia the nickname 'breadbasket of Spain'; vineyards, woodlands and wetlands supporting diverse species of wildlife, and a mountain range rising to almost two thousand meters.

Currently, the Spanish economy is growing faster than the European Union average, and Valencia is the leader of Spain's economic growth.
 

Valencia's History & Heritage
From excavated cave paintings to stone implements, there is much archeological evidence to suggest that the region which is now Valencia was settled in prehistoric times. We also know that Greeks and Phoenicians in their turn, established colonies along Spain's eastern coast. Named Valentia (strength or vigor) by the Romans, the city of Valencia was founded in 138 BC.

Later came the usual suspects.... the Visigoths, and then six centuries of Moorsish rule, followed by the reconquest by Christian forces under Jaime 1 in 1238. The region became part of the kingdom of Aragon. In time, the Moors were replaced by a new population of Aragonese and Catalans (which explains the similarities of the Valencian and Catalan languages). Like most of Spain, the Valencia of today owes much to its Moorish legacy. It was the Moors who introduced the complex irrigation system which created Valencia's abundance. They planted the first rice fields which still flourish on Valencia's coastal plain, and began the cultivation of almond orchards and citrus groves which still predominate in the region today.
 

Valencia's Best Sights

Ciudad de las Artes Y Las Cienias...
City of Arts & Sciences
Adjoining the park is the Ciudad de las Artes Y Las Ciencias, a city in itself, the huge modern complex contains an Opera House and Performing Arts Center, I-Max Theater, Science Museum, Planetarium and open air Oceanography Center. Visually stunning and completely fascinating, it is quickly becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions in Spain.

Valencia Cathedral
The geographic heart of Valencia is its historic center. Once a walled city, the original walls are gone but two magnificent 14th century gates remain, the Torres de Serrano which faces north toward Barcelona, and the Torres de Quart, which faces west toward Madrid.

The spiritual heart of the city is the eclectic and glorious Valencia Cathedral, an extroverted blend of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque style architecture. It was completed in 1482 after 200 years under construction. The Miguelete, or bell tower, rises over the cathedral and affords wonderful views of the city from the top.

The Museo de la Catedral... the Cathedral Museum contains treasures from all three periods, most notably an extravagant tabernacle of gold, silver, platinum, and precious gems, and the Holy Grail, which has been housed here, off and on, since the fifteenth century.

Museo de Bellas Artes
Well worth a visit is one of Valencia's, indeed one of Spain's best art galleries, the Museo de Bellas Artes. It houses an impressive collection of medieval and Renaissance masters, plus more recent works and a sculpture pavillion. You will find works by Velazquez, El Greco, Murillo, Andrea del Sarto, Van Dyck, and a flock of Goyas.
 

The City of Valencia
The regional capital of Valencia is the city of Valencia. With its population close to a million, it is the third largest city in Spain and a modern world wonder. It is home to some of the most contemporary architectural innovations in all Spain and yet is a metropolis which manages to co-exist in pleasing balance and harmony with the traditional styles of old, as few large European cities do. It maintains the feel of a small town and preserves its considerable charm, while cherishing the grandeur and beauty of its typically stormy Spanish history.

In 1958 the river Turia, which had flooded Valencia repeatedly for decades, was diverted south of the city . In the now dried up river bed lies a beautiful sunken park featuring a variety of different gardens. The river's former bridges have become walkways and bike paths traversing flowers and fountains, which allow you to cross the city without encountering a road.

Near Valencia's Central Market lies the el Carme neighborhood, full of little bars and pubs and usually a lively crowd enjoying live music and the ambience of the outdoor cafes. Order the local specialty, Agua de Valencia, which is a potent blend of vodka, Champagne and orange juice.

 

BENIDORM, DENIA & COSTA BLANCA COCENTAINA & THE COSTA BLANCA

 
Castellon
When you have tired of the beaches and the non-stop night spots of the Costa Blanca, go north to Castellon, to the relatively undeveloped Costa del Azahar.

See the town of Oropesa with its 16th century 'Tower of the King', originally built to defend against pirates. Visit the town of Castellon, home of the beautiful Santa Maria Cathedral; and then go north again to Peniscola with its great 13th century medieval castle which stands sentinel on an impressive promontory 64 meters above the sea. Also see the town of Morella, perched high on a hill over the Mediterrranean, with its castle and old quarter of narrow, winding lanes enclosed by a 14th century wall.

Orchards & Vineyards
Inland from the Costa Azahar, the 'orange blossom coast', you'll find a fertile valley of rice paddies, and orange groves producing, respectively, the foundation of Valencia's best known and ostentatious dish, paella, and Valencia's world famous citrus crop... the Valencia orange.

Go west up into the foothills and discover the vineyards of some of Spain's oldest and most prolific wine growing areas. Formerly the source of much mass produced wine for the export market, today the Valencia bodegas produce well balanced, complex reds, whites and roses from local Bobal, Verdil, Muscat and Monastrell varietals. Valencia D.O. wines are often an officially sanctioned blending with vintages from the neighboring Requena-Utiel region and are gaining recognition thanks to a new generation of vintners bent on developing quality over quantity.

Visit the Bodega Redonda's Wine Museum in Utiel. They have a good exhibit on the history of Valencia's winemaking and a unique circular cellar. Requena is a charming old town dating back to the fifteenth century where you can visit ancient wine caves set deep into the earth.
 

Cuisine & Culture
In Valencia, wonderfully fresh seafood abounds and rice is the local staple. Many great Valencian dishes combine the two... like arroz a banda, flavored with garlic, onion and tomato,or all i pebre, which features eels... but the region's internationally famous gastronomic masterpiece is paella. There are myriad versions in which you might find an array of fish, mussels, clams, shrimp, chicken, and sausage, all tucked into the most flavorful saffroned rice. Paella is prepared and served all over the world but nowhere does it better than here, where it was born in a fisherman's pot.

Fiestas & Ferias
You can find a fiesta for almost every occasion in Valencia. Visit any time of year and chances are good you'll find a festival of some kind in progress. When it comes to joie de vivre and celebrating, Valencianos take some beating.

In July catch the Feria de Julio when the city is adorned with flowers and the citizens can be found dancing in the streets, exploding bucketfulls of famous Valencian firecrackers, and indulging their passion for the corrida.

In Alicante The Moors & Christians Festival commemorates the region's reconquest from the Moors with both factions in period costume marching through the streets and then re-enacting the battle for the kingdom. The festival takes place in different parts of the city at different times of year: March in Villefranqueza; June in San Blas; August in Altozano and Jose Antonio. In December there is a grand procession involving all the Moors and Christians from all the different areas.

Fiesta de la Mocaora is a celebration of marzipan, a subject of great import to purists who know the only marzipan in the world worth eating, the real thing if you are lucky enough to find it, is made from Valencian almonds.

Biggest and boldest celebration of them all is Las Fallas de San Jose... the bonfires, the week long pyrotechnic party which marks the ending of winter and the onset of spring. Held every March since the middle ages, there is music and dancing, heart stopping fireworks displays and stunning explosions. The townspeople gather in the streets, dressed up in their most extravagant finery, the women be-jeweled. But the real stars of las Fallas are the gigantic wood and papier mache figures which teams of local craftsmen have spent the entire year constructing. Some are ironic representations of Spanish life, events, political statements... Spanish character or Spanish foibles satirized in these enormous edifices, some as tall as three storey buildings. They contain hundreds of firecrackers wound into and through the structures, and they are set ablaze in the town square to the delighted cheers and shrieks of the crowd. The fallas burn and explode and crash in a single roaring night as if all of Valencia would go up in flames, all the spectators be consumed by fire, and there would be no tomorrow. If your Costa Blanca vacation coincides with the celebration of Las Fallas, the people of Valencia will redefine 'zest for life' for you in their passion for the moment.

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