Sagunto: streets, buildings and a lot of history

Hello archi lovers!

We can enjoy many things if we want, in a simple moment when we did not expect, because there are fascinating places full of history and beauty, streets from another era and lavish buildings, and if you like architecture, urbanism and design, are you going to miss it?

We just have to pay attention, stop looking at the screen with our head down and lift it up, look around and sometimes we will discover great gems by surprise.

Although there is little surprise if we go to the town of Sagunto in Spain, because it is famous for its Roman castle and theater, it is the best known and most visited, and we will dedicate a specific post to it later, because this time we are going to discover the town itself.

It is a city thousands of years old, before the Romans there were already the Iberians and other peoples but it was the Romans who gave it the name "Saguntum", and where it became an important city in its time. Now it is not so much but history keeps it alive.

Because not only do we learn things by going up to the ancient archaeological area, but also a simple walk around because we have to do other errands. So lost in the streets on a normal humble street in a small city or large town, on an ignored corner a Roman ruin. Part of the old Roman circus that they also had in the town then, and now those remains remain there, in the middle of a sidewalk where residents pass every day, only the metal fence and the sign warn us that we are stepping on history at every step.

And further ahead, a small square or not even a square, a space in which we look with curiosity and the city once again gives us a history lesson, more Roman remains to show, between buildings from multiple later periods that overlap and creating a unique and particular architectural coexistence. Even with vertical plant decoration to contrast and for more contrast we turn our heads and in the distance the bell tower of a medieval style church that also differs from the rest of the environment.

Now we do arrive at a large square, the central square of the Town Hall, where other elements stand out, monuments paying homage to brave fighters of other times, because in the Napoleonic War this enclave was also decisive apparently... Giant trees and relaxing fountains complete the urban space as we continue to move forward.

If we advance through other of those normal, everyday streets, where nothing happens, where everything is the same as always, we suddenly discover some beauties of facades from almost 100 years ago (año[in Spanish]=year 1935). A colorful and striking style, at the same time decorated with elegance, as if art-deco or a similar style also wanted to have its role and place in this city full of cultures that is so Roman, Muslim, Jewish, medieval and so on.

Everything came together in narrow everyday spaces, but we stopped to delight this wonderful building that stands out here around and all the decorative details in relief and those beautiful paintings and the immense fascinating door, it says 1913 oh.

And I say that the city also had another history, other stories, and that is why in the other already steep streets we discover medieval life perhaps, in arches, cobbled streets and stone walls that are complemented by other more current buildings. In fact, to preserve some old walls but build on them, it seems that they have decided to place some iron posts as external beams, everything fits together as if it were a collage of historical designs.

An architectural puzzle of history in a single urban space, in which as we continue walking through the streets we see the modern cables in facades perhaps decades old, more steep streets but with stairs, ups and downs that take us to the true tourist-historical area as if its usual streets were not enough…

Sagunto, Spain🇪🇸❤️ Europe

Thanks for reading! Have an interesting and nice day.

The text is totally mine and the photos too, by ©Duvinca