The sea of the Romans
Mare Nostrum was the name given by the Romans to the Mediterranean Sea. It became the most used means of transport reaching India and China.
This seaway complemented the famous Roman roads, specifically Via Augusta which, with its 1,500 km long, was the longest causeway in Hispania and ran from the Pyrenees to Cádiz bordering the Mediterranean.
This sea bathes the entire Valencian Community, adopting different names: Costa del Azahar in the province of Castellón, Costa de Valencia and Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante.
Many of these coastal cities can be discovered with our guided routes through the Valencian Community such as Cullera, Gandia, Benicarló, Vinaròs, Alicante, Santa Pola and Villajoyosa, among others.
We start the route
In this article we are going to focus on the guided tour of València Mare Nostrum city linked to the sea from unmemorable times. There are still people who say: “I’m going to Valencia” And it is that until the end of the 19th century the maritime settlements were not unified with València.
The oldest remains that we find in the port area are amphoras from areas of Marseille, Greco-Italic and Punic (Carthage, today Tunisia) that date from before Roman times and that indicate the existence of commercial traffic with some nearby Iberian town where products such as salted fish, oil or wine were destined. These remains can be found in the Museum of Prehistory .
In this visit carried out with an official guide, we will get to know its port , what it was like and what its path has been until it is what it is. It is currently considered the most important in the entire Mediterranean in terms of the number of containers it moves.
A bit of history
With the conquest of Jaume I in 1238 in València and the arrival of the new settlers, the coast was populated by sailors and fishermen and the “Vila Nova Maris Valentia” was created in 1249: Villanueva de the Sea of Valencia or Villanueva del Grao.
This would be the first maritime town and from which the following were developed. From south to north separated by old ditches (currently streets) we have:
- Cañamelar whose origin of the toponym there are two versions: cultivation of sugar cane or hemp, the last version taking greater force since there are documents that confirm the entry of hemp to the city.
- Next we have the Cabañal , a place of cabins, since formerly the barracks, a typical Valencian construction, predominated.
- It is followed by Cap de França referring to its northernmost position.
- Finally we cannot forget Malvarrosa , a name that comes from a type of geranium and whose fame was made by the botanist Felix Robillard. Here we also find the house museum of the illustrious novelist Vicente Blasco Ibañez , writer of great works such as “Cañas y Barro”, “La Barraca”, “Arroz y Tartana” or “The four horsemen of the Apocalypse”.
In this guided tour we will check the idiosyncrasy of the maritime neighborhoods with their typical architecture . In many houses, the blue and green colors used on the facades remain and they immediately refer to those who painted the fishing boats below the waterline.
We will get closer to traditions and festivities such as the declared Festival of National Tourist Interest, Semana Santa Marinera , deeply rooted in maritime settlements.
We will visit its museum where the processional steps that are used in the parades, the clothing, evolution and related objects on this festival are shown. .
There are many ways to enjoy the guided tour . It can be done through different senses such as taste.
The Maritime Towns have a rich gastronomy . If you want to try typical tapas and also accompanied by vermouth (or another drink) we have the ideal route for you:
The marine tapas route , whose information can be found in our blog with the title: Ruta de la Tapa Marinera.
The Mediterranean Sea is full of great jewels , among them the old Maritime Towns of València that have a large number of options to enjoy.
La València Mare Nostrum is a good option if you want to know it through different senses, carried out by an official guide and accessible to all people .
In addition, there is also the option of doing it with hanbike and scooter . For more information you can send us an email to email@example.com