Parador de El Saler

VALENCIAN COMMUNITY

With over 300 days of sunshine each year and beautiful sandy beaches, the Valencian Community has plenty of cities, towns and resorts to visit for your fill of swimming, sunbathing and water sports. Made up of three provinces, Valencia, Castellon and Alicante and the Costa Blanca, the region covers a large part of Spain’s eastern coast, bordered by Murcia in the south and Catalonia in the north. Given its proximity to Catalonia, it should come as no surprise that the Valencian Community has its very own language which is similar to Catalan and you will find that street signs are often printed in both Castilian Spanish and Valencian

Castellón is the northernmost region and borders Catalonia. The province is known as Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast), has 120km of coastline and is home to some of Spain’s best beaches as well as two natural parks and areas of unspoilt coastline. There are a number of wonderful coastal towns and villages to explore including the well-known towns of Benicarló, Benicassim (popular for its annual music festival) and the fortified city of Peñíscola whose beach was famously used in Charlton Heston’s El Cid. If you venture further inland you will find mountainous landscapes dotted with medieval villages.

The Province of Valencia is home to the region’s capital and Spain’s third largest city, Valencia. The Old Town is the cultural and historic centre of the city with an abundance of historic buildings and sites of interest including the Baroque Town Hall, the grand Post Office, the art nouveau-style Estació Del Nord train station, the Cathedral and the Central Market, not to mention numerous churches, museums and statues around the city. Today one of Valencia’s most striking and famous features is the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences) situated in the east of the city and considered one of the ’12 treasures of Spain’. This futuristic complex comprises an impressive IMAX/planetarium/concert hall dome called l’Hemisferic, Europe’s largest aquarium, a scenic urban garden, the Palace of the Arts which exhibits a range of music, dance, theatre and opera performances, and a Science Museum which not only provides an interactive forum for visitors, but is also conducting some of Europe’s most innovative research. Just south of the city close to El Saler, you will find the Albufera Natural Park, a freshwater lagoon and estuary surrounded by rice fields containing wild flora and fauna that can be explored by boat.

The southernmost province of the Autonomous Community is Alicante and the Costa Blanca, home to some of Spain’s most well-known tourist resorts and beaches including Benidorm, Denia, Javea, Torrevieja and the city of Alicante. With well-established facilities for tourism and 200km of coastline, it is no wonder this stretch of coast is popular with tourists. Historically the south eastern coast served as the primary landing point for frequent Moorish and Berber invasions, leading to the creation of a number of castles and fortresses along the coast, this history is reflected in annual ‘Moors and Christians’ festivals where locals dress up and fend off the would-be invaders. The towns of Alcoi and Villajoyosa are widely praised for their excellent re-enactments.

Valencia is most famous as the birthplace of paella, which despite often being associated with Spain in general, actually originates from the area. The region is rich in natural water sources, the Albufera Natural Park is a wonderful example of this, and thus is perfect for growing rice. Valencia has been home to the majority of Spain’s rice paddy fields since the grain was introduced to the country by the Moors in the 13th century, and since then rice has been the region’s biggest agricultural export. Unlike the more familiar seafood paella many will recognise, Paella Valenciana is traditionally made with rice, green beans, meat (usually chicken or rabbit), lima beans or butter beans, saffron and sometimes snails, a delicacy in Valencia. You will find that most restaurants and tapas bars in Valencia feature a variety of paella dishes on the menu. Fideuà is arguably paella’s cousin, substituting rice for noodles; it is also a very popular dish in the region.

We must not, of course, talk about the Valencian Community without mentioning Valencian Oranges. The delicious fruit is exported worldwide and is one of the most popular varieties in the production of orange juice. You cannot visit Valencia without drinking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and luckily most eateries and hotels prepare their juice freshly each day. On a warm evening you might want to enjoy the local cocktail - Aqua de Valencia - which is a refreshing mixture of orange juice, cava, gin and vodka.

Another staple of Valencian cuisine, Orxata (or Horchata) which is plant milk made from tiger nuts and is often enjoyed with a farton (a sweet pastry stick), you will find Orxata available in many cafes and special stands dotted around towns and villages.

Turrón, a sweet nougat made with honey and egg whites (and often almonds and other nuts), is a Christmas delicacy throughout Spanish households and the ‘original’ version of this sweet treat can be traced back to Jijona/Xixona, a town north of Alicante.