Valencia Culture minister, Santiago Grisolía, ended a letter he sent recently to National Parador manager, Miguel Martínez, by saying, "while we keep talking, Sagunto is falling down."

While there is nothing new in the idea of converting historical monuments into tourist attractions to generate the money necessary to pay for their upkeep, the storm of controversy sparked by the drastic modernisation of the town's Roman amphitheatre will inevitably cast a spotlight on the regional government's plans to turn Spain's oldest castle into a luxury hotel.

Declared a National Monument in 1931, it dates back to before Hannibal's successful siege in 219 AD and was also the scene of further battles over the centuries involving Iberians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors.

It was occupied at the start of the 19th century by French troops during the War of Independence, and, although it has been left to fall into a ruinous state of disrepair, still boasts several cannons used during the Carlist Wars.