New Attractions in an Increasingly Sustainable and Safe Valencia

The Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia has expanded the space that houses its permanent collection with the incorporation of a dozen works of art from the Spanish Baroque period, in room number ten.

Among the 17th century art pieces that are on display to the public, belonging to the Museum's own collections, there are works such as those by Vicente Carducho, "The Crucified" and "The Conversion of Saint Paul", or by Antonio Palomino, such as "The Immaculate Conception". Palomino's work can also be seen in the frescoes of the Basilica de la Virgen de los Desamparados temple or the Iglesia de los Santos Juanes church. Also noteworthy is the canvas by José Jiménez Donoso, painted by the artist for the San Juan de Letrán chapel in the former convent of La Merced, which highlights Valencia's cosmopolitanism during the 16th century.

Sorolla portrays the female figure at the Bancaja Foundation

The famous Valencian painter, Joaquín Sorolla, is the central figure in “Femenino Plural”, an exhibition that explores life and the female figure from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at the dawn of feminism, reviewing the representation of a variety of different profiles, from working women to the elegant bourgeois, with an intimate, personal and social perspective. The exhibition will be open to the public at the Bancaja Foundation until the 30th of May.

Jubilee Year: from the Holy Chalice to the Camino de Santiago

In 2021, Valencia is celebrating its Jubilee Year of the Holy Chalice with a number of activities that will value the cultural, historical and religious heritage tied to what is considered to be the vessel that Jesus used at the Last Supper. The Aula Grial has reopened its doors as an interactive visitor centre dedicated to the Holy Grail and the Camino del Santo Grial ("The Way of the Holy Grail") and will function as a meeting point for pilgrims, tourists and visitors who want to understand the history of this relic and its connection with the city. At Aula Grial, you can learn about the journey of the Holy Grail and its arrival in Valencia, see how the monks of that time dressed, learn about the specialities of Benedictine cuisine or discover other historical relics. In addition, Valencia bridges the gap between its Jubilee Year and the Holy Year of the Camino de Santiago ("The Way of St. James"), lighting up the Apostles' Gate of the Valencia Cathedral, creating the Xacobeo symbol in blue with a yellow arrow to mark the starting point of the Camino de Santiago de Levante.

A secret medieval treasure in San Juan del Hospital

Valencia never ceases to amaze us: behind its walls and historic buildings, it is still possible to find hidden treasures left over from the passage of time, such as the fourteenth-century wall paintings discovered on the wall of a cemetery in the historic complex of San Juan del Hospital. These paintings are a composition of stars, flowers and rhombuses in red and black, tied to the ancient order of San Juan. The discovery of this important heritage makes San Juan del Hospital one of the city's most valuable medieval historical monuments, thanks to the variety of pictorial and mural remains that are preserved within its walls. Yet another reason to visit one of the few examples of an urban cemetery in Europe.

Urban artists colour the city of Valencia

Valencia loves design and every inch of the city offers an opportunity to create and experiment, which attracts the creative genius of many artists. Female scientists of national and international prestige are the protagonists of the artistic project, "Dones de Ciencia", which is filling public spaces in the city to give visibility to the work of different women, to encourages vocations for science and research, and to shine light on the consequences of gender inequality. Another of the initiatives that is colouring the city this year is “Art a La Marina”, that brings together ten very diverse artists to leave their mark on the murals in Valencia's marina. The streets of the city of Valencia, also referred to as "Capital del Turia", have also come to life with the work of the Valencian artist Pau (@patufalla), who has decorated the names of some of the city's streets and squares with the iconic Playmobils, which will serve as a guide for those who visit Valencia. Furthermore, the Jardín del Túria is being transformed into an impressive tour of murals with  “Abstracte, un riu d’art”, an urban art museum that will be filled with the contributions of eleven artists who will revitalise this space through graffiti and abstract art.

+ SUSTAINABILITY

Valencia reinforces its commitment to sustainability

Valencia joins the Global Destination Sustainability programme that includes more than 60 international destinations, such as Sydney, Helsinki, Oslo, Bilbao or Barcelona, that are committed to sustainability as a differential and strategic value. Visit Valencia will lead Valencia's participation in this programme, with the collaboration of the City Council and the Nova Transició Verda ("New Green Transition") department of the University of Valencia. Among the 69 indicators that will be evaluated, all of them linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), several stand out such as the implementation of sustainable food programmes, sustainability certifications, resource reduction, reuse and recycling programmes, circular economy initiatives/strategies, pollution reduction policies, as well as accessibility.

+ SPORTS

Valencia will host the 2021 European Triathlon Championship

Valencia has been chosen as the official venue for the upcoming European Triathlon Championship to be held in the second half of the year, once the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are over. The continental championship will feature the Elite competition in the men's and women's categories, as well as the paratriathlon event, and the European championships for age groups in both sprint distances and Olympic distance.

It will be a unique opportunity for all Spanish triathletes hoping to compete in the colours of their national team in a European Championship that is also held at home. The last edition of this championship held in Spain was in 2011, in the Galician city of Pontevedra.

Once again, the competition will host the informal triathlon circuit "Mediterranean Triathlon", which will allow fans of this sport to compete in an incomparable setting and in the context of this continental championship. As usual, the informal competition will have super sprint, sprint and Olympic distances.

+ SAFETY

Measurement of COVID-19 in open spaces

A pioneer in the measurement of COVID-19 in wastewater, Valencia has innovated once again to strengthen health security. The City Council's square will have a station for controlling and evaluating the transmission of COVID-19 in public spaces, thanks to the measurement of SARS-CoV-2 in the air.

The project will be set into motion by the City Council of Valencia through the Beaches and Acoustic and Air Quality Service, and in collaboration with the Jaume I University and the University of Valencia.

Once up and running, the research team will evaluate the data collected by the station almost daily and will cross-reference it with the data recorded on the COVID-19 incidence rate to establish a possible relationship between the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the record of atmospheric aerosols and the incidence of the virus. It will thus be possible to determine if the device is a useful tool to alert about the transmission of the disease.

Even greater security to tackle the recovery of Valencian tourism

Almost 100 Valencian tourism companies and entities have obtained the “Preparado COVID 19” SICTED (Integral Quality System of Spanish Tourist Destinations) seal, which recognises the tourist value chain's efforts in Spanish destinations to adopt good preventive practices against the pandemic, in addition to advanced measures in environmental management, CSR, innovation and accessibility. To obtain this distinction, the certified entities subjected their contingency plans and preventive measures to an evaluation, designed to improve their internal processes within the framework of the sector's reactivation.

In addition to this distinction, which highlights the efforts to safeguard the safety of workers, travellers and citizens, there is also the Safe Tourism Certified seal and the SICTED Tourism Quality Commitment, already held by more than 160 establishments in the city.

DOWNLOAD PHOTOS