Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Silla

What to see and do in Silla (L'Horta Sud, Valencia): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Silla

Arab tower and site of Silla 3.8 km

Towns near Silla

What to see in Beniparrell 2.1 km · 4 places
What to see in Alcàsser 3 km · 3 places
What to see in Albal 3.8 km · 3 places
What to see in Picassent 4.4 km · 7 places
What to see in Catarroja 4.7 km · 7 places
What to see in Massanassa 5.3 km · 4 places
What to see in Benetússer 6.9 km · 3 places
What to see in Alfafar 6.9 km · 3 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Valencia › L'Horta Sud › Silla

What to see and do in Silla

Silla
Village
Silla is a municipality in L'Horta Sud, near the Albufera de Valencia, 12 kilometres from the capital. Its name may derive from the Arabic suhayla, "small plain", or from the Latin cellae, strongholds where wine and oil were stored; it appears recorded as the alquería of Çila in the Llibre del Repartiment. The relief is flat, except at the boundary with Picassent, and its eastern half is occupied by rice fields and the Albufera Natural Park, while the Acequia Real del Júcar irrigates the western part. Its origin lies in Roman times, when a villae linked to the centuriation around the Via Augusta emerged, following the founding of Civitatis Valentía in 138 BC. It is now home to the Museum of History and Archaeology.
Albufera Natural Park (Silla side)
Nature
Silla, 12 km south of Valencia, is not located within the Albufera Natural Park but borders it: its eastern half, of flat alluvial land formed when the Albufera extended further inland, is occupied by rice fields and wetlands adjoining the park, while the Acequia Real del Júcar irrigates the western half.
Festivities of Silla
Activity
Silla's patronal festivities reach their main day on the 6th of August, the feast of the Santíssim Crist, with the Dansa dels Porrots -an old warrior dance performed by groups of eight dancers- and the singing of the Carxofa, a scenic contraption shaped like a palm tree from which a child singer emerges.
Arab tower and site of Silla
Monument
Remains of an Islamic-era tower next to the Museum of History and Archaeology of Silla, evidence of the municipality's fortified Muslim settlement. The tower was built in the 7th century, and in the 12th century it was rebuilt reusing ashlars from Roman villas; after the Christian conquest it served as the nerve centre of the encomienda of Silla under military orders. The site on which it stands dates from the 1st-2nd centuries, with finds of coins, millstones and pottery fragments. Restored in 1984, it has housed the MARS (Museu d'Història i Arqueologia de Silla) since 2009.
1243 settlement charter and the Order of Montesa
Historical milestone
Hugo de Fullalquer, master of the Hospital, granted the charter of settlement that organised the district. The seigneury passed afterwards to the Order of Montesa, which administered it until the disentailment of 1837. The Andalusi tower remained the centre of local power.
Rice with beans and turnips
Food and drink
Winter stew of the towns of the lake that cooks rice with beans, turnip, cardoon and pork sausage in a thick broth. It is served brothy, in a pot and not in a paella pan, and it makes use of the seasonal vegetables of the huerta that surrounds the Albufera.