Free Tour What the Streets of Valencia Hide

About the Tour

Ever since Roman generals founded the city of Valentia, its inhabitants have walked, lived, traded and enjoyed its beautiful corners. The main axes of the ancient Roman roads largely coincide with those we find even today. All the cultures that have populated our city have left their mark, from the Muslim Atzucacs and its narrow streets to the medieval urbanism that has shaped the city in which we live. We will talk about urban changes. Those that were already carried out at the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century and those that, luckily, were never carried out. But we will not only talk about urban issues and reforms. The names of the roads themselves have undergone profound modifications. From those that the town granted in medieval times, the attempts by the authorities to "clean" the street of names that were politically incorrect, to the uncertain origins or mysteries that are resolved when knowing the origin of the most curious names of the city. We will talk about toponymy and history, heritage and memories and echoes of the past. Also in the way of modifying the street map, according to who held the power or the form of government and the new form that was found to honor certain people or institutions by labeling streets and avenues. We will wander through little crowded squares through tourist circuits, beautiful corners, romantic places and streets through which we will never be able to pass again. We will try to evoke those memories of life, of commerce, of uproar, of circulating trams, of running children, of an incessant traffic of people, despite the very probable noise of vehicles with which they receive us today.

Meeting point: Open in Google Maps

How to find me: Under the arch of the old General Hospital, main door of the Public Library, facing Calle del Torno del Hospital