The Valencia Museum of Fine Arts, the second largest art gallery in Spain

Valencia's Museum of Fine Arts, also known as the Museu de Belles Arts de València, was founded in 1913 and is housed in a 17th-century Baroque building that was originally the San Pío V College-Seminary, founded in 1683 by the Archbishop of Valencia, Friar Juan Tomás de Rocabertí. The building has had a number of uses throughout its history, including a cadet academy, a charitable home, an army supply shop and a military hospital, until it was chosen as the home of the Museum of Fine Arts, which was created by bringing together various art collections from religious and civil institutions. Since its creation, the museum has undergone extensions and renovations to become the second largest art gallery in Spain.

The museum's collection includes outstanding works from the 15th to the 19th centuries, with a particular focus on the Renaissance period.

As soon as you enter the museum, you will be immersed in the world of the Valencian Primitives, covering the period between the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 16th centuries. You will have the chance to see such representative artists as Alcanyís, Nicolau, Jacomart and Reixach, among others. We should also mention the Valencian school, with Joanes, the Ribalta family, Espinosa, Vicente López, Sorolla, Pinazo and others.

The Gothic rooms are impressive, and the rooms dedicated to the painters and sculptors Pinazo and Benlliure are fine examples of the Valencian school.

The museum's Renaissance collection is particularly rich and diverse. It includes works by great masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Jacopo Pontormo and Tintoretto. The museum also has a large collection of Italian, Flemish and Dutch paintings, as well as sculptures and objets d'art, including works by Pinturicchio, Andrea del Sarto, Van Dyck, Murillo, Velázquez, El Greco and Goya.

You can also admire a large number of drawings and engravings, as well as sculptures, archaeological finds, architectural fragments and other examples of movable art. In the section devoted to archaeology, you can admire precious remains such as the "Lion of Bocairent " and the Early Christian sarcophagus of Saint Vincent the Martyr.

If you're feeling peckish after your visit, and want to try some Spanish pastries, we recommend stopping off at the foot of the Santa Catalina bell tower, just 10 minutes from the Museum of Fine Arts. Here you'll find the hochateria Santa Catalina, a two-century-old house offering delicious hot chocolates with churros on its white marble tables. The setting is superb for a snack or breakfast. The façade of the establishment, adorned with beautiful ceramics, is a real eye-catcher. Inside, it's like being in another era, with marble floors, a wood and ceramic counter and walls covered inazulejos.

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As its name suggests, the café serves the famous horchata, a typical drink of the city. You won't get the chance to try it very often: there's a simple reason why horchata is so closely linked to Valencia. In Europe, chufa (Tiger Nuts) is grown almost exclusively in the Valencian countryside. In fact, Spain is Europe's only producer and the world's leading producer.

With its off-white colour, sweet taste and great freshness,horchata de chufa is the perfect drink when the temperatures start to rise.