Xàtiva Castle

Few towns are so closely identified with a single monument as Xàtiva is with its castle. What visitors find at the top is not one fortress but two, joined in a single complex that looks out over the town towards the Serra Vernisa. This dual nature is its most distinctive feature and what sets it apart from so many other castles.

Each of the two enclosures has its own name. Seen from the town, the one on the left is the Lesser Castle and the one on the right is the Greater Castle. It is worth getting this distinction clear before you head up, as it helps you understand the site as a pair of complementary fortresses rather than a single, isolated building.

Architecturally, the castle belongs to the Valencian Gothic style, which gives much of the region's heritage its character. It is this Gothic idiom that visitors should look out for as they explore its walls and rooms.

The castle's importance to Xàtiva can also be seen well beyond its walls. Just take a look at the town's coat of arms: at its centre stands a tower from which two walled arms extend, each topped by a castle. These are none other than the two fortresses, the Lesser and the Greater, turned into a symbol of local identity.

That is why it is well worth arriving with the coat of arms in mind and discovering, once on site, how that heraldic design takes real shape before your eyes, with the town at your feet and the Serra Vernisa opposite.