A 17th-century farmstead with an esgrafiado room

Alquería de Juliá stands as a resilient survivor of a 17th-century farmstead. Although the city grid now surrounds it, the manor house remains a steadfast landmark on Carrer de la Democràcia. We must look closely at this structure to understand its history as a former gateway to a labyrinthine garden and a grove of pines.

Beyond the house, there was a garden featuring a maze and a glorieta surrounded by square hedges. A terrace led further to an orchard with a central path lined by grapevines. The furthest reaches contained a pine forest, which remains a remnant of the large Moyá de Campanar forest.

While the gardens have vanished, the building remains a rare example of Valencian rural architecture. It features a two-story tower and a facade decorated with pilasters and a broken pediment containing a venera. Inside, the ground floor showcases a tile wanscot from the late 17th-century, including a representation of an Ecce Homo.

We find one of the most significant features in an interior room decorated with esgrafiado. This technique uses plaster to create floral and fantastic motifs. It stands as one of the few surviving examples of this style inside a domestic dwelling. It invites us to explore the artistic flourishing of late 17th-century Valencia.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons