What’s the ‘Huerta’?
The English word ‘orchard’ was once spelt “hortyard”, and derives from the Latin “hortus”, meaning ‘garden’ and the old English “geard”, meaning ‘yard’. In Valencia the “huerta”, although it can…
Gregorio Mayans: an Enlightened Man of his Time
Gregorio Mayans y Siscar (1699–1781) was a historian, linguist and writer from Oliva during the Enlightenment. Born on 9 May 1699 his father fought on the wrong side during the…
Is Paris Burning, or Cooking Paella?
The French ambassador of Spain, Jérôme Bonnafon, was in Valencia on 12th November 2014 to pay homage to the Valencian who liberated Paris from the Nazis. Amado Granell Mesado, who…
Ignacio Pinazo: Valencia’s Mad Hatter
Pinazo, who was born in Valencia in January 1849, and who died in nearby Godella in October 1916, worked largely in the impressionist style. Born into a poor family, Pinazo…
Great Valencian Ghosts
Today it is haunted by civil servants who wander the corridors carrying mysterious pieces of paper with blank looks on their faces, seemingly wandering aimlessly, as if searching for some…
La Puerta del Mar
La Puerta del Mar (or Gateway to the Sea) was built in 1946 in imitation of the city gate that stood on the same site. The original was built in…
Guillen de Castro: the Streets Have a Name
Napoleon’s troops must have marched along Guillén de Castro when besieging Valencia on two occasions (one home win and one away win) at the beginning of the 19th century. It’s…
The Burning of Xátiva
The War of Spanish Succession was part of a wider European conflict between Catholic France under King Louis XIV and a largely protestant coalition of Britain, Holland, Portugal and Austria,…
Doctor Lluch. Years of Cholera in Valencia
Doctor Lluch was lucky, in the sense that, unlike his colleagues Doctors Alzheimer and Parkinson, his descendants didn’t have to live with the ignominy of his surname. Fortunately for him…
When Valencia’s Brothel Got the Green Light
There is an old joke, not so funny when you think about the high standards of journalism to which we all adhere, about the Pope arriving at JFK airport and…
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