Xàtiva

Birthplace of the Borgia popes — including Callixtus III and Alexander VI — Xàtiva is a historic town in Valencia's Costera comarca whose dramatic hilltop fortress overlooks a well-preserved centre with a good concentration of cafés and restaurants. The town was burned by Bourbon troops in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession, yet retains a rich artistic heritage. Earlier, during the Islamic era, it was a centre of paper manufacture and learning, and its name was carried by the 12th-century scholar Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi.

• Population29,386
• Nearest water from center 1.6 km1.0 mi
• Nearest mountain from center 5.7 km3.5 mi