Xàtiva

A spectacular castle forms a fluid backdrop as it laces the skirts of the mountain that dominates the plain of Valencia. Xàtiva is one of Valencia Province's most monumental cities.

History and monuments and a great view from the castle restaurant await you.

For this is one of the cradles of Spanish culture; the town of a thousand fountains and birthplace of one of the Catholic Church’s most influential and, some would say, infamous papal families, the Borja.

Its streets are lined with churches and religious relics that record a time of splendour.

In Iberian times, thousands of years before Christ, Xàtiva was known as Saiti. The Romans called it Saetibis.

The town was conquered by Arabic armies; first by the Almorávides in 1092 and then the Almohades in 1172. It was Jaume I that conquered Xàtiva definitively on the 22 May of 1244. Later, French troops, assisted by Spanish mercenaries, lay siege to the town on 5th May 1707, emptied the town of the population and then burned it to the ground. A year later the town was rebuilt by order of Felipe V.

Since this time the townsfolk have been known as ‘socarrats’ or ‘the burnt people’. For this reason, visitors to the town’s museum will find a portrait of Felip V hanging upside down.

Now Xàtiva is a bustling, go-getting place with a magnificent castle that has been sympathetically restored and some great hotels. Check out the Mont Sant Hotel (http://www.mont-sant.com) at the foot of the castle, a great ambience, a brilliant view, but watch out for the cuisines.

Not the best to be had in this land of excellent gastronomy. Best to head for the Portal Fosc (http://www.portalfosc.com), an excellent restaurant with great service and very accessible prices.

Holidays and Fiestas:

Feria of August: 15th to the 20th every year. A great hullabaloo parked in the centre of town: shows, distractions, street bars, street theatre, markets, artesania and a whale of a time that goes on for 24 hours a day. The whole is completed with a mammoth firework display that echoes across the mountains for hours….

More information: http://www.xativa.es/