Sagunto / Sagunt (Valencia)

 

What you can do and see in Sagunto/Sagunt

Sagunto is a town where the present and past display great contrasts. The part with the old town and castle is perforce a Historical-Artistic Centre.

Numerous remains of the medieval past can still be seen in the old town. Some narrow streets in the Muslim and Jewish quarters still survive. The latter is famous for being not only the oldest in Spain but also because until their expulsion, it was the home of the largest and most important Jewish community in the Kingdom of Valencia. It is well worth strolling through its narrow streets with their white-washed walls.

Gothic architecture is also important, and most clearly seen in St Mary’s Church (14th to 18th century), built on the old main mosque. Although its main façade is Baroque, the interior and side façades are in the Gothic style. The other Gothic building well worth seeing is the Church of the Saviour, the oldest in Sagunto. With an austere appearance and interior, the church was built by James I after conquering the town although some researchers believe, and it may be true, that it was raised on the foundations of the church that El Cid had built after conquering the town, 140 years before.

Civil Gothic architecture is seen in some palaces and noble houses, such as the façade of the Palace of Delme, the courtyard to the Casa dels Berenguer, the fortified house of the Duke of Gaeta, and the House of Maestre Peña. This now holds Sagunto History Museum, which exhibits very interesting archaeological objects dating from Antiquity to the Middle Ages.

The visit to the museum leads us next and inevitably to the famous Roman Theatre, built in the 1st century AD, located at the foot of the castle.

Sagunto Castle, a veritable icon of the town, is reached up a steep street. Its origins apparently go back to the 5th century BC, but its current appearance is mostly medieval. As well as forming an extensive walled complex of towers and courtyards of great interest (it is one of the most important castles on the Way of El Cid), where the most sensitive travellers can feel History with all its emotions, the views from it are extraordinary.

Some of the defensive structures located outside the perimeter of the old town, of very different periods, are a good indicator of the strategic importance of Sagunto. These are the Gausa Tower, the fortified farmstead of Agua Fresca, the Fort of Grau Vell and San Roque Tower.

After visiting the castle, the next invitation is obvious; either a good dinner with rice and seafood in a restaurant serving traditional cuisine or a swim and a stroll on any of the beaches near the Port of Sagunto: Almardá, Port de Sagunto and Malvarrosa de Corinto.

 

You should not miss

• The fallas in Valencia are undoubtedly the most famous festivals internationally (they were listed as World Intangible Heritage in 2017), but there are many other fallas in the length and breadth of the Community of Valencia (and further afield). The Sagunto fallas are among the best known and are designated, like Holy Week, as a Festival of Tourist Interest.

Rev.: JGG 23.09.21