Rocafort: Huerta, Culture and Traces of Antonio Machado

Landscape

Rocafort’s Huerta is characterised by remarkable landscape and natural diversity. The Acequia Real de Moncada runs through the municipality, separating Rocafort’s town centre from the Huerta and extending for 670 metres through the municipality. The covered section of the Acequia Real de Moncada offers a walk with views of one of the best-preserved areas of the Huerta de Valencia.

At the eastern edge of the municipality of Rocafort, Parque Ramón Fontestad lies next to the Acequia Real de Moncada and overlooks the Huerta. The park has a network of paths and trails that can be explored along various routes. Concerts and theatre performances take place there against the backdrop of the Huerta. Different routes help organise your plans for the day without prescribing a fixed order for visiting these places.

Culture

The Machado-themed tour in Rocafort begins at Villa Amparo, then passes by the Acequia Real de Moncada and ends at the metro station, the former “Trenet”. Villa Amparo is a historicist chalet built at the beginning of the 20th century in the neoclassical style, with a large garden, a fountain, monumental benches and a garden pavilion. It is included in the inventory of protected elements in Rocafort’s development plan with protection level 2 and has been proposed as a Bien de Relevancia Local. From November 1936 to March 1938, the house was the residence of the poet Antonio Machado; during his stay, he wrote numerous press articles and several poems.

Next to Villa Amparo, a mural created in 2009 reproduces Ramón Gaya’s depiction of Machado crossing a bridge over the Acequia. Opposite Villa Amparo, a sculpture based on Ramón Gaya’s vignette from the magazine “Hora de España” has stood on the promenade over the Acequia Real de Moncada since 2014. Casa Bou is Rocafort’s former manor house and was built between the 14th and 15th centuries; its balcony tiles and garden tower with palm trees are particularly noteworthy.

The cloister of the former Augustinian monastery dates from the 15th century, is attached to the church and has a rectangular floor plan with a fountain in the centre. The ground floor has 16 round arches and 20 cylindrical columns; the upper gallery has 12 round arches. The walls of the ground floor contain a collection of tiles dating from the 16th to the 19th century. The Church of San Sebastián in Rocafort dates from the 16th century.

Rocafort’s Casa de Cultura offers theatre, dance and performing arts, concerts and musical performances, film screenings and film cycles, as well as workshops, conferences and educational activities in its event hall.

Events and cuisine

Rocafort’s traditional rice dishes include Valencian paella, arroz al horno and arroz a banda. Coques cristines, an almond pastry, are associated with the local patron-saint festivities. Rocafort’s main festivities take place at the end of August and the beginning of September in honour of Saint Augustine, the Virgen del Consuelo, Santa Bárbara and the Cristo de la Providencia.

Other places

Other places include Mislata, Campo De Arriba, Utiel, La Yesa, Monserrat, Genovés, La Pobla Del Duc and Burjassot.

To the higher-level travel overview: Valencia.