Ehe oldest neighbourhood of Valencia known as the Barrio del Carmen contains in its interior one of the most historic streets: Museum Street, which has two curiosities not to be missed....
One is that you can find the origin of Carmen and the one that gives its name to the neighbourhood: the convent of Carmen Calzado Today it has been given a new lease of life and has become one of the most ambitious cultural centres in the city! is a hotel, a socio-cultural centre with musical and gastronomic events, exhibitions, theatre, lectures, and it is also a beautiful urban garden.
And the other one... it has to do with cats, but we'll tell you about that a little bit later...
First, let's take a look at the history...
This neighbourhood, considered the heart of Valencia, The ancient city grew up between two walls:
It has created its own historyThe following members were present orchards, suburbs and shelters Muslims; he was one of the most famous brothels in the Mediterranean, the largest and most important monasteries of the city, is where aristocracy has lived the aristocracy in luxury and then become a dirty and marginal area during the industrial revolution and is now one of the most important neighbourhoods more colourful and more cheerful of Valencia.
Its main streets, from its origins until now, have been Serranos and Caballeros streets, from which the neighbourhood was divided into two sectors:
Have you ever heard the phrase staying to the moon of Valencia?
The life of the city was hidden behind these walls, where at 22.00h they closed their gates to protect themselves during the night, leaving everyone who arrived late to sleep outside »in the moonlight of Valencia» next to the Serranos bridge.
If you walk through this neighbourhood you will find several of Valencia's most important monuments as the imposing Serrano Towers or entrance to the city, the Quart Towers another of the areas of the wall, the Portal de la Valldigna, The Plaza de la Virgen, The Miguelete, the Valencia Cathedral or the Church of San Nicolás (here you can find out more about it in detail the Valencian Sistine Chapel)
You will be able to discover the history of the city's shelters, wander around its colourful and winding alleyways and you will find not only a myriad of street art, but a large number of museums that will make you soak up the history of this wonderful city:
You will find everything from luxury restaurants to tapas bars with a supreme quality and a strong focus on Valencian and Spanish cuisine.
There are two that you can't miss if you're passing through, they are authentic and an obligatory stop if you want to get to know our gastronomy:
As mentioned above, this neighbourhood is currently is famous for the life and atmosphere in its streets.. It is one of the best places in Valencia to eat and then spend the afternoon. listening to live music or enjoying the sun on one of its terraces.
And there are two key sitesthe area of the Caballeros Street where you will find Unique, Bolsería and Fox Congo. And our favourite place par excellence: the Plaza del Negrito, The beautiful square with several bars where you can sit down for a relaxed drink or dance inside the Ghecko which also has a very original decoration.
AHHH lest we forget: you will find many vintage style shops in the neighbourhood at very good prices. Here are some recommendations:
Dare to wander the streets, you'll find all sorts of quirky shops to explore and it's a fun experience if you're into fashion.
And not to be outdone, during the night you can also take the opportunity to go and listen to live music, there is a huge cultural movement in the city...
If you like jazz we recommend Jimmy Glass and if you like more reggae, soul, drum and bass or funky styles you can't miss out on Radio City.
OK yes... we haven't counted you in the end. the history of cats and what they represent in Valencia.
It turns out that on Museum Street itself you will find the cat's house, but it's not just any house...
According to the locals, it responds to a legend from the time of the Cid Campeador and which stated that latholics used to think cats were devilish creatures which also attracted bad luck. So after the reconquest of Valencia, it was decided to eliminate all of them. and that there was not a single one left in the city.
But four cats survived.
So, over time, the artist will Alfonso Yuste Navarro decided to pay tribute to the survivors by creating a house for them and using as a reference the year 1094 which is when the legend of the Cid dates from.
And it has been there ever since, the city's felines make great use of it and it is one of the places that the curious love to visit.
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