Serra Calderona. C. Valenciana

<%@LANGUAGE="Javascript" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Serra Calderona. C. Valenciana

SERRA CALDERONA. C. VALENCIANA.

Accessibility upgrading works have been made by the Autonomous Valencian Government at "Pla de Lucas", a picnic area located in Sierra Calderona Natural Park, only 20 kms away from the city of Valencia.

Sierra Calderona (or Serra in the local language) is a mountainous massif located between the provinces of Castellón and Valencia , a Natural Park located just at a 25 minutes drive from the city of Valencia.

The Sierra Calderona was known for some years as Montes de Portacoeli. The name Calderona comes from María Calderón, a 17th century stage actress known as La Calderona, and one of the favourite lovers of King Felipe IV. The King used to send all his lovers to a convent. But the young Calderona fled the convent and Madrid to hide out in this hilly scrubland where she took shelter with the "bandoleros" who roamed the area.

These mountains offer stunning sights that make the routes beautiful with its flora diversity, being the scenery one of its most valuable natural assets. The sierra serves as a dividing line between the Palancia river basin to the north and the Turia and Carraixet river valleys to the south. Cluster pines and some cork oaks take root in its rugged terrain composed of sandstone and limestone soil.

There are 18 village communities within the mountainous environment of Calderona, of which 14 are to be found completely or partly within the natural park itself. The municipality of Naquera represents the main entrance to Sierra Calderona from the south: during the Spanish Civil War, from October to the end of 1938, the government of the Second Republic lived in the town.

The beautiful picnic area framed by pine trees and known as Pla de Lucas is close to the village of Serra (take the road Bétera to Olocau and off to Portacoeli, road CV- 331). The facilities there have been adapted to people with reduced mobility: accessible car park area, adapted toilets and an accessible footbridge joining the different areas are some of the upgrading works made. A new children's playground has been installed and picnic wooden tables have been re-arranged. Drinking water is as well available.