Above shows Aigua Blanca, the European Blue Flag beach at Oliva. It never seems to get crowded, even in the summer months. It is cleaned every summer morning and during the winter months it is a fine source of driftwood for the open fire in the living room of the house!
Oliva
is in the province of Valencia, famous for food and revelry and home of the home
of paella. It is a fairly dry, rugged and hilly terrain that is perfect for growing
the Valencia orange. Citrus and the other crops grown in the region make it the
"Garden of Spain". The coast varies in character, if you drive north
towards Valencia you are surrounded by rice fields and orange groves. There are
many good beaches, little coves and harbours to explore. Above left shows Javea
harbour, which is south of Oliva.
The
Borgas Palace
at Gandia is only six miles away. Backing onto Oliva is the spectacular mountain
range. By car you can drive inland to discover delightful tiny villages, each
with its own dark bar offering cold beer and salted almonds. 
If
you drive down to the south, you come to little fishing ports where you can buy
the evenings gambas, or Javea with its beautiful curved bay. Right shows the Gandia
kite festival.
The famous nature reserve of
La Albufera lies south of Valencia city and is the second largest in Spain.
It consists of the lagoon, the wetlands around it and the adjacent shoreline,
the dehesa.
Valencia City
You can take a train from Gandia
up the coast to Valencia city, the third largest in Spain. One of Valencia's most
raved about attractions is the baroque Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas.
The facade is extravagantly sculpted and the inside is just as outrageous. The
Museo de Bellas Artes ranks among the best museums in the country and contains
works by El Greco, Goya, Velázquez and a number of Valencian impressionists.
The Instituto Valenciano Arte Moderno (Institute of Modern Art) houses an impressive
collection of 20th-century Spanish art. 
Walk
up the tower of Cathedral (left) for amazing views of the city. Linger in the
beautifully preserved Gothic area and enjoy the smells and sights of Spains largest
indoor food market. Valencia really is a delightful city, with its numerous shops,
café-theaters, bars, restaurants and flower-stands, but it is also forward
thinking. An amazing new City of the Arts complex has just been built, click
here. It offers opera, theatre, music and dance, interactive museums, imax
cinema, planetarium and laserium. Near Valencia is the restored Roman theater
at Sagunto. In 1993, the theater started offering musical and dramatic performances
for the first time in nearly 1,500 years.
Some interesting sites:
Map
of Valencia town
A
good site on Valencia
Photos
of Valencia
Valencia:
sightseeing
Turisvalencia,
great site!
The
Valencian Coast
Valencian
Coast
|
For sports, restaurants and bars in the area, click here.
Photos:
George Greene