Landscape Architecture

Garden of the Hesperides .. Valencia

Valencia Hesperides Garden Rill Photo © Alice Joyce

Valencia, Spain offers garden travelers and aficionados of modern landscape architecture a trove of settings to fill their days. Strolling away from the city center along Calle de Quart, you’ll pass through the ancient towers on the way to the botanical gardens, appearing on your right. Across the street from the gardens, I booked a room at a boutique hotel, Hotel Jardin Botanico. The El Carmen neighborhood is an artistic hub; a place to enjoy a bite to eat in a small cafe frequented by Valencians. My time in Valencia was coming to an end when I experienced an exhilarating finale to my exploration of Spain’s third largest city: The Garden of the Hesperides, adjacent to the University’s Jardi Botanic, but tucked away on Gaspar Bono street. Constructed around the Millennium, the ‘Hesperides’ is the work of VAM 10 Arquitectura Studio: Designed by Maria Teresa Santamaria, agricultural technical engineer, & architects Antonio Gallud, Carlos Campos, and Miguel del Rey.

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Historic Gardens

Valencia, Spain .. Romantic Gardens

Valencia Viveros Photo © Alice Joyce

The old quarter of Valencia offers charming diversions for garden lovers: In contrast to the contemporary aspects of the Turia gardens, visitors bask in historic parks and flower-filled promenades.

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Landscape Architecture

Turia Gardens .. Valencia's Green Zone

Turia Gardens: Richardo Bofill Design / Photo © Alice  Joyce

The Turia Gardens project traces to 1957, when flood waters devastated the city’s historic district. To avoid another such deluge, the government diverted the Turia River, relocating the watercourse. Rather than turn the old river bed into a highway, as some suggested, the vast area became a public green zone, with renowned architect Ricardo Bofill assuming a primary role in the overall planning.

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