Plaça Redona

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Plaça Redona (Plaza Redonda, Round Square)
Calles Pescaderia
Valencia, September 2022

“Constructed by Salvador Escrig Melchor in 1840, the Plaza Redonda is one of Valencia’s most unique tourist attractions due to its peculiar design. Restored in 2012, this space has become one of the city’s most enchanting spots. Surrounded by traditional craft shops and tapas bars at street level, you can also browse the small stalls that sell lace, embroidery, fabrics and Valencian souvenirs, among other things. You can reach the square on foot via four streets that converge together to form an area which is welcoming and full of light. If you stand by the fountain in the centre, you can take in a new and beautiful view of the Late Baroque bell tower of Santa Catalina, which stands over the three stories of the round building. On the ground, there is a quote by the Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez who mentions this place in his novel Arroz y Tartana.” (Round Square, Visit Valencia)

El Miguelete

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El Miguelete
Plaza de la Reina
Valencia, September 2022

“This is the Valencian Gothic-style bell tower of Valncia Cathedral. It is 50.85 metres high and was built between 1381 and 1424 by Andrés Juliá and others. Access to the tower is from inside the Cathedral by means of a spiral staircase with 207 steps. An 18th century steeple crowns the Miguelete belfry.” (El Miguelete, Visit Valencia)

Fuente del Turia

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Fuente del Turia by Manuel Silvestre Montesinos, 1976
Plaza de la Virgen
Valencia, September 2022

“The Turia Fountain is an elaborate oval fountain about 60' across by 26' wide. It was created by sculptor Silvestre Edeta and dedicated in 1976. A bronze statue of the Roman god Neptune sits on a platform is in the center with a cascade of water flowing down to a lower level from all sides. The lower level contains bronze sculptures of eight naked women. The fountain is an allegorical representation of Valencia’s Turia River. The eight statues of women have water pouring from jars representing the irrigation channels of the river.” (Turia Fountain, Waymarking)

Torres de Serranos

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Torres de Serranos (Serranos Towers)
Plaza de los Fueros
Valencia, September 2022

“Under the supervision of Pere Balaguer, construction began in 1392. The towers were designed to be defensive structures at one of the busiest city gates. They were saved from demolition when the city walls were knocked down in 1865 and used as a prison for the nobility between 1586 and 1887. The back of the towers have been opened so that the pointed arches and the vaulted domes can now be seen from the Plaza de los Fueros. The Towers represent an excellent example of gothic architecture.” (Serranos Towers, Visit Valencia)

L'Oceanogràfic

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L'Oceanogràfic (The Oceanographic)
Carrer d'Eduardo Primo Yúfera
Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences)
Valencia, September 2022

“The Oceanographic is the largest complex of its type in Europe, spanning 110,000 square metres (1,200,000 sq ft) and holding a capacity of 42,000,000 litres (11,000,000 US gal) of water, including a 26,000,000-litre (6,900,000 US gal) dolphinarium and a 7,000,000-litre (1,800,000 US gal) ocean tank with sharks, rays and other fish. It is home to 45,000 animals from 500 different species—including sharks, penguins, dolphins, sea lions, walruses, beluga whales, birds, reptiles and invertebrate—all inhabiting nine two-tiered underwater towers representing the Earth's major ecosystems. The aquariums utilize sea water pumped from the La Malva-Rosa beach. The park is divided into ten areas: the marine areas are arranged into Mediterranean habitats, the Arctic oceans, islands, the tropics, the temperate seas and the Red Sea. The park also includes a dolphinarium, an area of mangrove swamps and marshland, and a garden with more than 80 different species of plants.” (L'Oceanogràfic, Wikipedia)

Catedral de Santa María

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Catedral de Santa María
Plaza de la Virgen
Valencia, September 2022

“Valencia Cathedral, at greater length the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia, also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church in Valencia, Spain. The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by the first bishop of Valencia after the Reconquista, Pere d'Albalat, Archbishop of Tarragona, and was dedicated to Saint Mary by order of James I the Conqueror. It was built over the site of the former Visigothic cathedral, which under the Moors had been turned into a mosque. Valencian Gothic is the predominant architectural style of the cathedral, although it also contains Romanesque, French Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements. The cathedral contains numerous 15th-century paintings, some by local artists (such as Jacomart), others by artists from Rome engaged by the Valencian Pope Alexander VI who, when still a cardinal, made the request to elevate the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan see, a category granted by Pope Innocent VIII in 1492.” (Valencia Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Virgen de los Desamparados

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Dome with frescos by Antonio Palomino, 1701
Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados
Plaza de la Virgen
Valencia, September 2022

“This temple, built upon the ruins of the Roman forum and dedicated to the patron of the city, is linked to the cathedral by way of a Renaissance arch. Everything inside revolves around the statue of the Virgin, a Gothic sculpture with the head leaning slightly to one side, and covered with a robe and jewels. In the XVIII century, the two innocents who are at her feet were added, and the whole thing is now set upon a mechanical device which allows the statue to revolve. The central nave is covered by an oval-shaped dome, with frescos painted by Antonio Palomino.” (Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados, Valencia City Guide)

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía

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Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía by Santiago Calatrava, 2005
Avinguda del Professor López Piñero
Valencia, September 2022

“Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía; anglicised as ‘Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts’) is an opera house, performing arts centre, and urban landmark designed by Santiago Calatrava to anchor the northwest end of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain. It opened on 8 October 2005; its first opera staging was of Beethoven's Fidelio on 25 October 2006. Tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo has maintained a special relationship with the Palau since its founding and has established a young singers training program there.” (Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Wikipedia)

Puente de la Exposición

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Puente de la Exposición by Santiago Calatrava, 1995
Jardín del Turia
Valencia, September 2022

“The Puente de la Exposicion –the white comblike work by Santiago Calatrava– spanning the riverbed between the ancient ashlars of the Puente del Real and the colourful splendour of the Puente de las Flores bridges. Together with the Puente de les Arts and the Puente del Regne, the Puente de la Exposición represents the height of modernity in the face of tradition. With its sloped arch and four lanes of traffic, the Puente de la Exposicion is a faithful representation of what Calatrava strives for with all of his projects: a living work relating to each of its parts. He differentiates it from the cement bridge of the metro station that supports it, thereby transmitting forces in a natural way. Traditionally known as La Peineta (an ornamental comb) on account of its unique shape, the bridge was designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. It is a harmonious construction that combines a work of engineering with impressive aesthetics. The bridge is built in high-tensile steel and is set on one single span, with a 14-metre high arch running from one end to the other. Also called "Puente de la Exposición" after a former bridge on that site that led to the area of the Regional Exhibition of 1909. Alameda underground station is below.” (Puente de la Exposición, Valencia City Guide)

Fuente de las Tres Gracias

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Fuente de las Tres Gracias, 1853 (1909)
Plaça de Rodrigo Botet
Valencia, September 2022

“This fountain is a 19th century replica of a famous group by Germain Pilon. The original, kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris, is made of marble and was commissioned by Catherine de Médicis in 1561 to receive the heart of Henri II.”

Palau de la Generalitat

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Palau de la Generalitat
Palacio de la Generalidad
Plaza de Manises
Valencia, September 2022

“The design of Palace goes back to 1418. This rectangular building was originally built as a tax office for the Crown. It is flanked by two turrets, while the lower central part set in between gives an impression of unity. Work began in 1421, using a late gothic style. Between 1481 and 1520, the splendid gothic courtyard was enlarged, the Chapel was started and the façade on the Plaza de Manises was built by the architects Pere Compte and Joan Guiverro. The renaissance turret designed by Joan Corbera was finished in 1521. From that period until 1940, when the new turret was built, no other work of importance took place. The new turret was finished in 1952 and the design by architect Luis Albert Ballesteros, was an attempt to copy the original one.” (Palau de la Generalitat, Visit Valencia)

Palau del Marqués de Dosaigües

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Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas
(González Martí National Museum
of Ceramics and Decorative Arts)
Raconada de Federico Garcia Sànchiz
Valencia, September 2022

“The Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas (Spanish: Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas, Valencian: Palau del Marqués de Dosaigües) is a Rococo nobility palace, historically important in the city. It is located in one of the most central locations in the city of Valencia (Spain). It is a stately mansion that was the property of the Marqueses of Dos Aguas and is currently owned by the Spanish State. It houses the González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts.” (Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, Wikipedia)

Casa de los Gatos

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Casa de los Gatos (House of Cats) by Alfonso Yuste Navarro, 2003
Carrer del Museu
Valencia, September 2022

“Cats are no strangers to urban agglomeration, especially in a warm climate, and the felines of Valencia are no exception. Feral cats roam the streets, looking for a place to rest their bones before being shooed away. The cat house offers them respite. At the foot of a blue wall on Carrer del Museu, the facade of a tiny house attracts the attention of passersby. The house is only a foot or two tall but it is designed in a classically Valencian style. It has a Spanish tiled roof, a little fountain, and a ‘garden’ to the side (actually just one potted plant). The house’s entrance is dark and does not appear to lead to the other side of the wall, but perhaps that’s just a ruse for human intruders. Legend has it that the old woman who previously owned the house behind the gate left it for the feral cats of Valencia to inhabit. Whether or not this is true and whether or not there are any cats behind the wall will have to remain a mystery—to the humans of Valencia at least.” (Cat House, Atlas Obscura)

Santa Catalina

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Santa Catalina
Plaça de Santa Caterina
Valencia, September 2022

“Santa Catalina is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church located in the city of Valencia, Spain at the southern end of Plaza de la Reina. The church was built in the early 13th century at the site of a prior mosque. Most of the interior was rebuilt after a fire in 1548 acquiring the baroque style. It has a 16th-century portal of classicist style. The imposing bell tower, with a hexagonal base and five levels, once the site of a minaret, was rebuilt in a Baroque fashion between 1688 and 1705 using the designs of Juan Bautista Viñes. Today still presents the 13th-century gothic exterior. The church was restored in 1785.” (Santa Catalina, Wikipedia)

Assut de l'Or Bridge

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Assut de l'Or Bridge (Serreria Bridge) by Santiago Calatrava, 2008
Turìa Gardens
Valencia, September 2022

“The Assut de l'Or Bridge (Valencian: Pont de l'Assut de l'Or, Spanish: Puente de la Presa del Oro) is a white single-pylon cable-stayed bridge in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, designed by Valencian architect and civil engineer Santiago Calatrava and completed in December 2008. The name l'Assut de l'Or is Valencian for the Dam of the Gold and refers to a dam that was located nearby, although locally it is referred to as El Jamonero (The Ham Holder) or Pont de l'Arpa, Spanish: Puente del Arpa (The Harp Bridge). Calatrava called it the Serreria Bridge. The bridge crosses the Turia Gardens in southeast Valencia, Spain near the east end of the City of Arts and Sciences complex. Its design is a variant of Santiago Calatrava's 1992 design of a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge in Seville, Spain. In the Serreria bridge, the pylon is curved backward and back-stayed to concrete counterweights in the roadway. The aesthetic effect of the Serreria bridge arises in part from the curved pylon and the 29 parallel cables supporting the bridge deck, accented at night by spot lighting of the cables and the pylon. The bridge deck has two carriageways, three lanes each for cars and one additional lane for a tramway, and a carriageway for only pedestrian and cycle traffic along the middle spine of the deck by the cable stays.” (Assut de l'Or Bridge, Wikipedia)