Ethnology

Alongside its art, culture and traditions, the Region of Valencia has a long past that is waiting to be explored. During your stay you can really get your teeth into the history of the area by visiting the many museums sprinkled across the region from top to toe. Discover just a few of them in this post. 

In the north of the Region of Valencia, in the province of Castellón, you can immerse yourself in the world of art at Museo de Bellas Artes, the Museum of Fine Arts, in the city of Castelló de la Plana. This avant-garde building was designed by Mansilla y Tuñón Arquitectos and is focused around a central patio populated by cypresses that used to call Serra Espadà school their home. The mission of the museum is to conserve, exhibit, educate and research the artistic, historic and cultural memory of Castellón. A place where you can soak up plentiful art and culture. 

Museo de Historia Militar de Castellón, the Military History Museum, on the other hand, is the ideal place if you want to get to know the military history of the province of Castellón from the 1700s to the present day. It is housed in the former barracks of the 14th Tetuán Regiment and has over 3,000 objects and 2,000 documents in its collection, as well as uniforms from different factions, banners, maps and other military objects. You can also see the highest military decoration, the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, which some locals received. 

In the inland of the province sits a welcoming village whose streets have become a museum in their own right. Fanzara is a must-visit if you love modern art as you can gaze at beautiful painted façades, large and small-scale paintings and sculptures everywhere you look. You can also visit Museo Inacabado de Arte Urbano, the Museum of Unfinished Urban Art, to further feed your passion. Meanwhile, in Oropesa del Mar you can see Museo del Naipe (Museum of Playing Cards) whose claim to fame is the biggest deck of cards in the world. A great place to visit if you love playing a game or two in your free time. 

In València city, in the province of the same name, there are even more incredible museums. Housed in the former Nuestra Señora del Carmen de València Monastery, Centre del Carmen Cultura Contemporánea is a space where you can see a wide variety of contemporary works utilising different artistic languages and disciplines. Nearby, there is also IVAM, el Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, the modern art museum. The building was opened in 1989 and has 7 galleries where you can marvel at permanent and temporary exhibitions. You can also visit the remains of the Medieval city wall as well as sculptures and other pieces of modern art that are renowned around the world. 

València is also home to the great Museo de Bellas Artes San Pío V, which is considered one of the greatest fine art galleries in Spain. Its collection features work from Valencian Gothic painters and Renaissance artists such as Paolo de San Leocadio and Hernando Yánez de la Almedina. You can also see pieces from the Pinturicchio school and Baroque period by artists including Diego Velázquez and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, among others. 

In the village of Albaida, you will find something a little bit different: Museo Internacional de Títeres de Albaida, the International Puppet Museum. Housed inside Palacio de los Marqueses de Albaida, the museum will immerse you in the world of puppetry with pieces from Europe, Asia and Africa. An incredible place that will get your imagination going. 

And last but by no means least, the province of Alicante. Museo Arqueológico Provincial, the Provincial Archaeological Museum, will take you back in time to the origins of the area and the various epochs that followed, namely the Prehistoric, Iberian, Roman, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary eras. If you fancy something a little sweeter, you can head to Museo de Chocolate de Villajoyosa, the Chocolate Museum in Villajoyosa, where chocolate almost becomes an art. Here you can learn how delicious chocolates are made and commercialised, followed by a tasting of some of its tastiest treats. 

So here you have it: just a few of the museums you can visit during your holiday in the Region of Valencia. There are, of course, many many more that will satisfy even the greatest appetite of the most voracious culture vultures.