Valencia – classical and dynamic city

The capital of an autonomous region within Spain, this dynamic city of almost one million people is the third largest in Spain – and certainly one of the most beautiful. Valencia has the elegant boulevards and classical architecture of Madrid, the dynamic, artistic spirit of Barcelona and a character all of its own.

There is even a local language, Valenciano, which features elements of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French due to their common old Latin roots, as well as a suitably attractive flag, a local parliament, many regional delicacies such as paella, horchata and agua de Valencia, and a fair share of famous sons and daughters, both past and present.

Valencianos are proud of their city and their traditions, and rightfully so. This is a large, metropolitan city with all the grandeur, culture, art and sophistication of a cosmopolitan centre, yet it has retained a typically Mediterranean way of life that involves a quality of living few large cities can match.

The historic layers, dating right back to Roman and Moorish times and running through the Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical periods to the exuberance of the Neo-Gothic and Art Deco, are all visible in the large historic centre of this over two thousand years old city. More than an open-air museum, this is a vibrant heart with a thriving shopping and nightlife district, unequalled Spanish café society and a great many fine dining venues.

Leave the beautifully restored boulevards, plazas and shopping arcades behind and you find yourself on the broad avenues that run towards the port, the business districts and the ultra-modern marina – home to the Formula 1 and to the last America’s Cup sailing competition. Here, luxurious modern apartments and penthouses overlook expansive park and sports facilities situated in the former riverbed of the Turia, now redirected elsewhere.

At the furthest extension of the park, not far from the marina, is one of Valencia’s modern wonders, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. Designed by the city’s own architectural superstar Santiago Calatrava, this iconic collection of science, natural history and arts museums forms some of the most impressive modern architecture in Europe – and an internationally recognisable symbol of a city that combines the very best in the classic European and modern cosmopolitan city.

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New post on at Wednesday, 9 December, 2009, 4:09 pm and is archived in Art, Culture, Food and drink, Lifestyle, Places of Interest. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.