Standing proudly at the bottom of Gandia’s main shopping street are statues of the notorious Spanish Borgias. They are, on the face of it, a curious family for a town to promote – even if the history of Gandia is inextricably linked with them.
Certainly, Pope Alexander VI was nothing if not one of the most outrageous and dissolute Popes in the history of the Christian church. Meanwhile two of his children, Lucrezia and Cesare, are notorious to this day. Lucrezia was supposedly a deadly poisoner and Cesare a malicious and deadly thug who probably killed his elder brother the Duke of Gandia (amongst many other people).
However, the Borgia family from Gandia were not all bad. Indeed, only a couple of generations after the death of Pope Alexander and Cesare, the Gandia Dukedom produced a future saint.
Francis Borgia was born on the 10th October 1510 in Gandia and grew up to be a particularly devout man. Indeed, upon the death of his wife, he renounced his rich dukedom to become a Jesuit priest sworn to poverty and chastity, qualities that would have horrified his Borgia forebears – who clearly believed in neither.
It is the celebration of the life of Francis Borgia that will be important to Gandia next year. 2010 will mark the 500th year of the birth of Saint Francis who is possibly only second in significance to the Jesuit movement after its Spanish founder, Ignatius Loyola. The birth and life of Saint Francis Borgia will therefore be an obvious catalyst next year for internationally publicising Gandia – a town almost unknown outside of Spain itself.
Certainly, to anyone who knows Gandia, it is a surprise that, internationally, the town has so little presence. Within Spain, Gandia could almost be compared, in terms of national profile, to that of Brighton within the UK. To the Spanish, it is immediately recognisable as one of the finest quality holiday destinations in Spain and somewhere to which many people would love to retire.
Located some seventy kilometres south of Valencia city, Gandia lies on the east coast of Spain almost opposite the Balearic Islands. A town of some 80,000 people, Gandia is situated in a stunningly beautiful area renowned for its greenery, dramatic mountains and wonderful (Blue Flagged) beaches. The latter must rank alongside the finest ‘commercial’ beaches in the world with their miles of golden sand and superb facilities.
However, it is not just the terrific beaches that make Gandia special. The old town is also well known for its up-market shopping which is centred around numerous individual boutiques. These are enhanced by fine restaurants and an attractive town layout that includes the beautiful, tree-lined Paseo Germanias. The latter is the ‘heart beat’ of Gandia and runs past pretty, pedestrianised streets and squares.
Meanwhile, the gentle conservatism of Gandia old town is complemented by the beach area some two kilometres away from the town itself. There, the night life is nothing if not vibrant and would probably have appealed to Pope Alexander VI and his immediate family. Casinos, nightclubs and bars abound along the beachfront which also benefits from a gorgeous seven kilometre promenade edged by palm trees.
The truth is that Gandia has largely remained an international secret because it is just too far north from Alicante airport to be an easy-to-reach international holiday destination. This has changed recently with the arrival of cheap flights to Valencia city’s greatly improved airport. However, the Gandia area is still relatively unknown and has a tiny number of international tourists or people from Europe living there permanently.
In fact, the few ex-patriots who live in the Gandia area tend to think that Gandia’s charm lies in it not being an international tourist destination. It has been developed by the Spanish for the Spanish and has therefore retained its natural charm and the delightful purity of its culture. Certainly, in no way could Gandia ever be described as overrun by international tourists and the old town certainly seems completely unaware of foreign holiday makers – even during the height of August.
In fact, Gandia is a well preserved secret that is ideal for holiday makers searching for a place on the Spanish coast that will deliver a holiday (or long term place to live) that provides a taste of ‘real’ Spain. This is in short supply – despite Spain’s huge coastline. Most towns and villages close to the sea have suffered chronic over-development and the economies of many are dependent almost completely upon tourism and its damaging (to normal day to day life) annual ebb and flow.
Gandia old town, thankfully, has its own economy and benefits from being set back from the coast. This means that any tourists (the vast majority of whom are inland Spanish) tend to stay around the beach area – as opposed to invading the town itself.
Around Gandia are small villages that are surrounded by orange groves. These villages have tightly knit nuclear communities and a way of life that seems not to have changed for centuries. Agriculture is still important with the fabulous aroma of the orange trees blossoming in May a treat for everyone. Meanwhile, the all-inclusive, colourful and charming annual village fiestas would be recognised with pleasure by Saint Francis Borja himself.
Undoubtedly Pope Alexander VI would have gained greater pleasure from the staggering and exuberant week-long fiestas that occur each year in Gandia. The Cappucins at Easter are an unforgettable sight, whilst the La Fallas celebrations in late spring are so magnificent and outrageous as to defy description. The latter are mirrored by the wonderful Fira y Festa in October which celebrates Gandia in a week long, riotuous street party that is simply unmissable!
Will the secret of Gandia last?
Sadly, I suspect not – if the celebration of the birth of Saint Francis Borgia is publicised as heavily as intended. Of course, in many ways this will be the correct thing to do. However, I will be saying nothing and making sure that few people know what they are missing by going to other – better known – areas of Spain!
Copyright Nick Snelling who is author of three books on Spain including: How to Move Safely to Spain – available from http://www.movetospain-safely.com
BLOG http://informationspain.blogspot.com
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