When walking through the streets of Valencia, the traveler can feel, among its walls and under the pavement, the beat of many centuries. From the remains of the Roman Forum, founded by Junius Brutus on the site of today's Plaza de la Virgen, giving rise to Valentia, to the emblematic Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of the Arts and Sciences), Valencia has transformed its layout, while preserving monuments that are a living testimony of bygone periods.
The Cathedral of Valencia stands in the same place where the first temple of the Roman city was erected, and later, an Arab mosque. Built between 1262 and 1426, the many expansions and alterations it has gone through have left their mark in the interesting juxtaposition of styles laid over the prevailing primitive Gothic.
The Miguelete, the tower most closely identified with Valencia by people from outside, is the Gothic bell tower of the Cathedral. It rises to a height of 50.85 metres, the same dimensions of its perimeter. The effort it takes to climb all 207 steps to the top of the tower are more than rewarded by the splendid view of the city that it presents.
