The towns of Valencia's long coast and privileged climate, in
particular Benidorm, southern Europe's skyscraper capital, are
famous beach tourism destinations. Country of fire, fireworks and
long meals (often featuring the renowned paella), Valencia is a
Mediterranean land where people know how to enjoy life. This book
tells the story of today's Spanish provinces of Valencia, Castello
and Alacant (Alicante), with their profound Moorish legacy. The
Moors designed the intricate system of irrigation that still
nourishes Valencia's prosperous horta (market garden). They
brought, too, the silk, paper and orange industries. The area is
rich in monuments, many from its golden fifteenth century, when the
capital became the wealthiest city on the Western Mediterranean.
Sails & Winds discusses Sagunt's Roman theatre and castle;
Gandia, home to the ill-reputed Borja (or Borgia) family of popes;
Elx, embraced by 200,000 palms; and Alcoi, anarchist stronghold.
Michael Eaude discusses Valencia's art, literature and
architecture: the painters Ribera and light-filled Sorolla; the
great medieval poet of anguish Ausias March. Santiago Calatrava's
architecture, conjuring the sensation of soaring flight from steel,
has given Valencia city its new trophy buildings. Despite the
continuing holiday boom, there are still deserted beaches, sinister
and beautiful marshland, orange groves and a depopulated
mountainous interior. Sails & Winds seeks to explain this
contradictory and divided land, its identity pulled between the
Spanish state and Catalonia.
General
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