In the port city of Valencia, the third-most populated municipality in Spain

 "Far away places, with strange sounding names,

Far away over the sea . . .
Those far away places, with the strange sounding names,
Are calling, calling me . . .
They call me a dreamer, well maybe I am,
But I know that I'm yearning to see
Those far away places, with the strange sounding names,
Callin' . . . callin' . . . me . . . ."
-- lines from Far Away Places,
a song first popularized by Perry Como
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(on the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and the western part of the Mediterranean Sea) The port city of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, is a wonderfully liveable place with thriving cultural, dining, and nightlife scenes. Never afraid to innovate, Valencia diverted its flood-prone river to the outskirts and converted the former riverbed into a glorious green ribbon of park winding through the city. On it are the strikingly futuristic buildings of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, designed by local lad Santiago Calatrava. Other brilliant contemporary buildings grace the city, which also has several fabulous Modernista buildings, great museums, a long stretch of beach and a large, characterful old quarter. Valencia, surrounded by its huerta, a fertile zone of market gardens, is famous as the home of rice dishes such as paella, but its busy dining scene offers plenty more besides.

+ Valencia, the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia, is also the capital of Valencia Province. The wider urban area, comprising neighboring municipalities, has a population of around 1.6 million (constituting one of the major urban areas on the European side of the Mediterranean Sea). It is located on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula at the Gulf of Valencia, north of the Albufera lagoon. Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BCE. Islamic rule and acculturation ensued in the 8th century, together with the introduction of new irrigation systems and crops. Aragonese Christian conquest took place in 1238, and so the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia. The city's population thrived in the 15th century, due to trade with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, Italian ports, and other Mediterranean locations, becoming one of the largest European cities by the end of the century. The city's economy experienced a crisis upon the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609. The city became a major silk manufacturing center in the 18th century. During the Spanish Civil War, the city served as the temporary seat of the Spanish Government from 1936 to 1937.

+ The city's historic center is one of the largest in Spain, spanning some 169 hectares (420 acres). Valencia has numerous celebrations and traditions, such as the Falles (or Fallas), which was declared a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest of Spain in 1965 and an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in November 2016. In 2022, the city was voted the world's top destination for expatriates, based on criteria such as quality of life and affordability.