Petrés is best explored through its cultural heritage and traces of water engineering. A cultural and historical route passes the most important sights, with information boards along the way. The boards provide information about each place and make the route a common thread for exploring the town’s history.
Discovering Cultural History Through Buildings
The medieval L’Aixeta cistern now serves as an exhibition space and houses an ethnological museum. The Pou is also a medieval cistern, but served a different purpose: it was the palace’s well. These two structures connect historic water use with different past or subsequent functions.
The Casa-Castillo del Barón de Petrés is classified as a protected monument of Valencian cultural heritage. The Castle of Petrés is a square, fortified palace with a crenellated tower. The Iglesia Parroquial de San Jaime Apóstol dates back to the 18th century; its tower has four bells. Together, these buildings offer architectural points of interest ranging from the fortified palace and church to the cisterns.
Smaller historic features add to the picture. The old medieval oven at C/ Concepció 8 belonged to the lord of Petrés. The coat of arms of the Aguiló family can be seen on a façade at C/ Concepció 8. L’Hort Tancat is a structure in the Huerta, documented since the 17th century; it may have been built as early as the 15th or 16th century. With this building in particular, it is worth distinguishing between its documented date and its possible earlier origins.
Waterworks and Landscape
Petrés’s hydraulic heritage includes cisterns, irrigation channels and water dividers. The different structures illustrate their various functions: storing, conveying and distributing water. One specific example is L’Aljub, a 19th-century cistern outside Petrés. It is located on the Ponera or Palmosa branch of the Séquia Major de Sagunt. Compared with the medieval cisterns L’Aixeta and Pou, L’Aljub provides a later point of reference in the history of water engineering in the town.
The setting is also part of the local landscape: Petrés lies on the plain in front of the Calderona and Espadán mountain ranges. The Ermita de Santo Domingo is surrounded by natural scenery. Buildings and landscape can therefore be considered as different aspects of a stay in Petrés, without combining them into a single route.
Festivals and Planning Your Visit
The festival calendar offers recurring occasions to plan when to visit. In August, Petrés celebrates patron-saint festivals in honour of El Salvador, and in September, in honour of the Purísima Concepción. The Festa dels Xiquets takes place every year on the day after the Purísima, which is celebrated on the last Sunday in August. The Festa includes a procession featuring the traditional Balls dels Nanos, as well as music played on the Tabalet and Dolçaina. Visitors interested in local traditions will find both a seasonal connection and specific cultural elements here.
Another planning option is the Castillo de Petrés con Tren Turístico route from Playa de Canet to Petrés. The route also includes the Ermita at Calvario. Check the operating arrangements for the tourist train before booking. The route and the cultural and historical route offer different ways to explore the sights: one by tourist train, the other with information boards at the main locations.
If you are mainly interested in architectural history, historic waterworks and recurring festivals, Petrés offers several specific themes around which to plan your stay.
Discover more destinations: Montroy, Llosa De Ranes, Simat de la Valldigna, Gilet, Loriguilla, Benagéber, Siete Aguas, Fontanars Dels Alforins
For the overview of the wider region: Valencia.
