The Comunitat ValencianaA Citrus-Flavoured Experience
The northern Costa del Azahar - the Orange Blossom Coast - is, as the the name suggests a delightful region. But the Comunitat Valenciana is much more than just its coastline. The mountainous interior is not only a walker's paradise but is also home to fascinating historical castles and archaeological sites.
The Catalan and Moorish LegacyThe Kingdom of Valencia was conquered for Christendom by Jaume I - Count of Barcelona and King of Aragón - in 1238 and over five hundred years of Moorish rule definitely left its mark.Both oranges and rice were introduced by the Moors, so the rice fields and orange groves so typical of the Valencian landscape, particularly along the coast are part of the Moorish legacy. Similarly, many place names have Arabic origins and so many of Valencia's syrupy desserts have a definite Moorish flavour. The Community's own language - Valencian - is a dialect of Catalan and its two main heraldic symbols - the bat and the dragon - both date back to the Catalan conquest of the region. The fact that language is something of an issue in the Comunitat Valenciana also dates back to the thirteenth century. Valencian tends to be spoken more in the
coastal areas, which were originally settled by the Catalan, whereas as Spanish is more in the moutainous interior, where the Aragonese influence was stronger.
The Land of ValenciaTo this day, the Comunitat Valenciana is split along the lines established by the Catalan-Aragonese monarchs in the 13th and 14th centuries.The comarques, of which there are 32, are similar to the English counties. They have their own identity based on geography, agriculture and commerce, and are governed by a district council made up of elected municipal members. However, for administrative purposes within the Spanish state, since 1833, the Community has been divided into the three provinces. Barcelona Province is inevitably dominated by the vibrant city of Valencia but is also
home to some excellent beach resorts both to the north and south. The mountainous interior is great for walking and visiting castles, such as the one at Requena.
Castellon Province lays claim to the Costa del Azahar and Peñiscola - one of the most attractive parts of Spain, in my opinion. Valencian ConnectionsGiven Comunitat Valenciana's importance both in commerce and as a tourist destination, the region has particularly good transport connections.The main motorways are the A-7 - which runs inland along the Catalan coast from France down to south-west Spain via Valencia - the A-3 to Madrid and the A-23 to Zaragoza. Alicante is also connected to Madrid via the A-31 The major towns have good local rail connections run by RENFE Cercanias and the Alaris train and regular RENFE services link Valencia and Madrid, while the Euromed gets you to Barcelona. The region also has two major airports - Alicante Airport and Valencia Airport - and a third airport is being built in Castellón to serve the Costa del Azahar. And there are three maritime passenger terminals at Valencia, Dénia and Alicante.
Guides To The Valencian Community
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by Mary-Ann Gallagher is very good on the city of Valencia and has sections on the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Azahar and also covers El Maestrat and the
wine region. It's handy format makes it easy to carry but I would have preferred something a little more substantial.
