Villanova Maris Valentiae, a walled town by the port of Valencia

In 138 BC, Roman Valentia was founded in a strategic location due to the presence of the river and its relative proximity to the sea. The city was surrounded to the north and east by the current river Turia and to the west and south by a secondary branch that is now extinct, which turned it into a river island. During the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. the Romans provided the city with river port facilities, but the largest ships anchored some distance from the coast. Over time, the geographical location of the city far from the sea led to the autonomous growth of the maritime population around the port and fishing activities. The first written records of maritime settlements refer to El Grao, due to the great importance that this area acquired since the conquest of Valencia by King James I in 1238. The settlement obtained the rank of town with the name of Villa Nova Maris Valentiae according to the Royal Privilege of 27 May 1249. The town maintained its walls until the second half of the 19th century and in 1897 it was annexed to the city of Valencia. This study seeks to emphasize the significance of the walled town of Villanova Maris Valentiae as part of the network of Mediterranean fortifications and to underscore its value as a historical and cultural legacy of maritime Valencia.