

Valencia
is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid
and Barcelona, with around 0.8 million inhabitants in the administrative centre. Valencia is also Spain's third largest metropolitan
area, with a population ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 million. The city has global city status. The Port of Valencia is the 5th busiest
container port in Europe and the largest on the Mediterranean Sea, with a trade volume of 4.21 million TEU's. Valencia was founded
as a Roman colony in 138 BC. Its historic centre is one of the largest in Spain, with approximately 169 acres;
this heritage of ancient monuments, views and cultural attractions makes Valencia one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
Major monuments include Valencia Cathedral, the Torres de Serranos, the Torres de Quart, the Llotja de la Seda (declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 1996), and the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences), an entertainment-based cultural and
architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. The Museu de Belles Arts de València houses a large collection
of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including works by Velázquez, El Greco, and Goya, as well as an important series of
engravings by Piranesi. The traditional Spanish dish, paella, originated in Valencia.
Food : Valencia is famous for its gastronomic culture;
typical features of its cuisine include paella, a simmered rice dish with seafood or meat (chicken or rabbit), fartons, buñuelos, the Spanish
omelette, rosquilletas and squid (calamares).
Motor sports : Once a year between 2008–2012 the European
Formula One Grand Prix took place in the Valencia Street Circuit. Valencia is among with Barcelona, Porto and Monte Carlo the only European
cities ever to host Formula One World Championship Grands Prix on public roads in the middle of cities. The final race in 2012 European Grand
Prix saw an extremely popular winner, since home driver Fernando Alonso won for Ferrari in spite of starting halfway down the field. The Valencian
Community motorcycle Grand Prix (Gran Premi de la Comunitat Valenciana de motociclisme) is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season at the
Circuit Ricardo Tormo (also known as Circuit de Valencia). Periodically the Spanish round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters touring car racing
Championship (DTM) is held in Valencia.
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City of Arts and Science
The City of Arts and Sciences (Valencian: Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències), (Spanish: Ciudad de las Artes
y las Ciencias) is an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the most important
modern tourist destination in the city of Valencia. The City of Arts and Sciences is situated at the end of the former riverbed of
the river Turia, which was drained and rerouted after a catastrophic flood in 1957. The old riverbed was turned into a picturesque sunken park.
Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, the project underwent the first stages of construction in July 1996 and the finished
"city" was inaugurated April 16, 1998 with the opening of L'Hemisfèric. The last great component of the City of Arts and Sciences,
El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, was presented on October 9, 2005, Valencian Community Day.
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