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Valencia has embraced the 21st century with staggering energy: the futuristic Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Valenciano architect Santiago Calatrava has been a spectacular success; glossy museums like the Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i la Modernitat and the Museu d'Història de València have recently opened using all the latest technology; and the city has been chosen to host the 2007 America's Cup, which will mean a huge investment in its infrastructure. The Old City is already getting a facelift and the modern metro system is being expanded and revamped. Using a dramatic new building – or series of buildings – as a focus for luring tourists and investment has worked miracles in other Spanish cities. Barcelona transformed itself for the 1992 Olympic Games and Frank Gehry's Guggenheim museum put Bilbao on the tourist which were once a common sight in the orchards surrounding the city are also virtually extinct. Fortunately, not all Valenciano traditions are being swept away in the fervent drive to modernize the city. Every Thursday at noon, you can see the black-smocked members of the Tribunal de las Aguas gather to discuss the city's ancient water laws, just as they have for more than 1,000 years. And every March, the city explodes with the pyrotechnical festival of Las Fallas. Festivals are also celebrated fervently in the province. In the smaller towns and villages, you are more likely to hear the local language, Valenciano, a variation of Catalan, which has seen a resurgence since the death of Franco in 1975. National identity is less of a thorny issue in Valencia than in Catalunya or the Basque lands, but the Valencianos are still a proud bunch. They have been ever since the newly created Kingdom of Valencia was granted its own court, laws, money and language after the Reconquest of the region by Jaume I of Aragon and Catalunya in 1238. The former Kingdom of Valencia was finally granted a statute of autonomy in 1982 and is now known as the Comunitat Autonoma Valenciana with privileges, including the right to raise its own taxation and use its own language. In the city of Valencia, signposts are displayed in a carefree mixture of Castilian Spanish and Valenciano. Locals remain endearingly perplexed at the confusion this causes visitors. The Valencianos are clearly relishing the international limelight. They are quietly proud of their beautiful city and its glossy new attractions. The local football team, FC Valencia, are still topping the Spanish League, and the America's Cup is getting everyone excited already. The 21st century is clearly shaping up to be Valencia's new Golden Age and it's never been a better time to visit.
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