FACT OR LEGEND?
So… you pressed the
Mystery button.
So… you pressed the Mystery button.
We were wondering who would.
Since you're here, we might as well tell you a few stories.
About a house built for cats.
A bat that may have changed history.
And a tree that has been standing here longer than almost anyone can remember.
They are all part of Valencia.
But are they all true?
That is for you to discover.
Welcome to the other side of Valencia.
THE HOUSE OF THE CATS
It started with a hole in a wall.
In 2003, Valencian artist Alfonso Yuste Navarro noticed that neighbourhood cats were using a small opening in a wall in El Carmen to reach the land behind it.
Most people would probably have closed the hole.
He gave it a front door.
He transformed the opening into La Casa de los Gatos — a tiny Valencian house, complete with windows, balconies and its own little entrance.
But look carefully before you walk away.
On the same wall you'll find another piece of Valencia's history: a marker showing how high the water reached during the devastating Great Flood of 1957.
Suddenly, one little wall tells two very different stories.
One about cats and a man with imagination.
The other about a night Valencia would never forget.
And those four cats?
Well… that's where history becomes a little less certain.
Fact or legend?
We'll leave that one with you.
THE KING & THE BAT
Sometimes a small sound can change a very big story.
In 1238, King Jaume I and his army were camped outside Valencia, preparing to take the city.
According to an old legend, a bat had made its home near the king's tent.
One night, while the camp was sleeping, it began making noise — beating its wings and disturbing the soldiers.
They woke up.
And just in time.
Enemy troops were said to be approaching the camp for a surprise attack. The warning allowed Jaume's men to react and defend themselves.
Not long afterwards, Jaume I entered Valencia.
The story says the king never forgot the little creature that had warned his army — and the bat became forever connected with Valencia.
Look around the city today and you'll still find it.
On buildings.
On symbols.
And proudly above Valencia's coat of arms.
But did a bat really save a king and help change the course of Valencia's history?
Fact or legend?
Perhaps after almost eight centuries, a little mystery is exactly how it should remain.
THE TREES THAT REMEMBER
Some stories in Valencia are older than the people who tell them.
Hidden among the streets, gardens and parks of Valencia are trees that have been standing here for centuries.
Some have enormous trunks. Others twist into extraordinary shapes, with great roots rising above the ground as if they can no longer be contained by the earth.
And Valencia has quite a collection.
Ancient olive trees, monumental ficus trees, palms, jacarandas and species brought here from far beyond the Mediterranean have all found a home in the city's mild climate.
Among them are trees that were already old long before the streets around them looked anything like they do today.
They have survived storms, floods, wars and generations of Valencians passing beneath their branches.
No king had to be saved.
No four cats are required.
And this time, we don't really need a legend.
The tree is standing right there.
Go and find it.
Stand beneath it.
Look at its trunk.
And especially… look at those roots.
Sometimes the oldest stories in Valencia don't need to be told.
They're still alive.
A WALL FULL OF LIFE
Look a little longer and this wall becomes more than street art.
Created around a place dedicated to Valencia's older community, the paintings tell a simple but beautiful story: growing older doesn't mean stepping out of everyday life.
Quite the opposite.
People meet, talk, share stories, make music and remain part of the neighbourhood and the city around them.
The wall celebrates something we sometimes forget:
A city belongs to every generation.
And perhaps that is why we like this place.
Not because it is perfect.
Not because it is one of Valencia's famous monuments.
But because it tells the story of the people who are still very much part of it.
STILL CURIOUS?
These are only a few of the stories hiding in the streets of Valencia.
Some are history.
Some became legends.
And some are simply waiting for someone to stop and notice them.
Keep looking. Valencia has more to tell.