Xativa...
The castle at Xativa looks as if it's perched on
a cliff when you approach but when you get closer you will see that its walls rise up from
the town itself. As you wind up the narrow streets of the old town, you get tantalizing glimpses
of the castle high above. When you reach the lower walls scaling the hillside then continue on a
twisting road upwards, it is possible to imagine how well defended it was. This was once a barren
area that is now surrounded by orange groves and palm trees and delightful scents. There is proof that a castle exited in Roman times, although a castle
stood here in earlier Iberian days. Its strategic value was due t its situation on the via Augustea
that began in Rome and crossed the Pyrenees and traveled down the Mediterranean coast before heading
on to Cartagena and Cadiz. The grand structure you see these days standing watch over the town is a
mixture of Iberian, Roman and Moorish influences and later Christian fortifications.
The town is equally historic. It was the birth place of two popes
of the Borgia clan - Calixtus lll and Alexander Xl - whose family virtually controlled the papal
power for almost two hundred years and sired the infamous Lucretia. It was the first town in Europe
to manufacture paper, during the time of the Moorish occupation, and even today in Morocco paper is
still known as xativi.
Learn the Language...
Learning to speak Spanish will give you tremendous advantages...
It will also give you pride and confidence so even before you get here try to
learn the basics. There are several methods, some claim to be fast but
that all depends on you, not the course, so choose what's best for you.
Our useful links page carries a couple you might consider as a starting
point.
Spanish PDQ is from Linguaphone and is a fun, holiday-style course aimed at beginners wanting to
learn basic Spanish. It uses proven teaching methods and has a strong focus on
essential vocabulary, so you will quickly be able to handle a wide variety of
everyday situations. At less than £30 it's a bargain.
Xatavia castle with its 30 towers and four fortified
gateways, must rate as one of the loveliest in the Valencian Community, not only because
of its historic value but also because of a lot of thought and work has gone into its
surroundings. Sparkling fountains, small orange groves, herb gardens that perfume the air,
give you a sense of what life must have been like in an important garrison town. The fountains
and gardens aren’t just modern adornments but were an important part of Moorish culture and
what is equally impressive is that, standing on the high tower at either end of the long thin castle,
you become aware of just how massive an undertaking it was to build such a structure in such an
inaccessible but very defensible place.
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