El Umbracle
Landscaped walkway of alternating white arches over a hidden car park, lined with open-air sculptures.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to El Umbracle in Valencia starts with a deliberate mismatch built into Santiago Calatrava's white promenade: fifty-five solid arches cast into the ground and fifty-four more floating above them, never quite lined up. It traces the story back to the catastrophic nineteen fifty-seven flood that led the city to divert the Turia river and leave its old bed empty for decades. You'll hear how that dry riverbed became a science city, with this shade-house entrance planted with palms, bitter orange trees and sculptures by artists including Yoko Ono. Count the arches yourself as you walk the length of the promenade.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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