Valencia, Old Town

Valencia, in southeastern Spain, has the reputation of being one of the best places to live in Spain. In my time here, I found no reason to dispute that and many reasons to affirm it. The city is located on the Turia River that provides for irrigation of a naturally fertile area.
Valencia was founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BCE. It was under Moorish (Muslim) rule for about 500 years.
The 1st 2 pictures attest to the importance of the river and the Moors. The 1st is a statue in Virgin Square. The large guy with the cornucopia (you can make out the top) stand for the right ver and the 8 statues stand for the 8 irrigation communities along the river origanially built by the Moors over 1,000 years ago. The 8 empty chairs are for the leaders of the 8 irrigation communities' representatives who sit as a tribunal to judge conflicts in the irrigation system. Originally started by the Moors and kept by the Christians, this is the oldest jurisprudence system in Europe.
The 3td picture is also at Virgin Square. This is the Total Basilica of our Lady of the Desemporados (homeless, hopeless) the patron saint of Valencia.
Like must medieval cities, Valencia had walks. All the remain are 2 gates. The 4th picture is the Serrano's gate. The 5th picture is of El Rio, the nickname for the Turia Gardens. After destructive flooding, the city moved the river out of the city. The former riverbed was made into a long park, a bit if which is good n the 5th picture.
The 6th picture is in Saint Nicolas di Bari church. It is often referred to as the Sistine Chapel for obvious reasons. The are several paintings by Goya here.
The 7th picture is of a government building in the old town. It was built in 2 stages. The 1st was built several hundred noted years ago and the 2nd in the last century. Essentially, the building was doubled by adding a mirror image of the 1st half using the same materials and construction techniques. If you can't tell, the near portion is the addition.
The 8th and 9th pictures are of the Central Market. This is considered an important example of Spanish modern architecture, especially with the central dome.
The last picture is the appropriately named Round Square.Read more