Specialist craftsmen are undertaking a unique restoration project using only traditional skills and materials. Work is well underway on the ancient Palace of the Dukes of Cervellón in the beautiful village of Anna near Xàtiva. The palace was built on the remains of a 12th-century Moorish castle but had practically fallen into ruin. The ambitious restoration project began when Anna council experts discovered important Moorish remains and decided to dedicate an area to the village’s Arab heritage. Two parts of the palace will be used for this purpose, with a Mediterranean garden designed in Moorish style and an Arabic area called Harim that will be decorated with all the traditional elements of those times. But the project is unique because only traditional materials are being used and the craftsmen are working with the styles of the era. To make the restoration as authentic as possible experts contacted craftsmen in North Africa and much of the material has been imported from the continent. Other rough stonework has been used from derelict buildings around the village. The Harim will have many uses and will house temporary exhibitions, conferences, concerts and other cultural events. The ground floor of the palace will show off the glories of the Renaissance era in honour of the Borja (Borgia) family, as Isabel de Borja was the first Baroness of Anna. Here the restoration work is uncovering original flooring and domes and the traditional chapel dedicated to Santa Ana will be recovered. Other parts of the palace will become museums showing the history of the building as well as the ancient and recent history of Anna and its people. Important local archaeological finds will also be shown and a water museum will be opened in the extraordinary underground reservoir discovered by chance during the works and now beautifully restored. Water is vitally important to the village that is best known for its stunning fresh water lagoon - a popular weekend destination for families from Valencia city - and the whole area used to be flooded for rice fields. The abundance of water also led to the area’s first industries with hydroelectric plants and paper, dye and fabrics factories. The quiet village now has about 3,000 residents - there is no unemployment - and although traditional industries have been dying out, the land is richly cultivated with orange trees. The people of Anna are famous for their enterprise - many have gone elsewhere to become successful businessmen but all have eventually come back to live in their home village - and the area is now promoting rural tourism. Anna is only an hour’s drive inland from Gandia and is also being promoted by the Macizo del Caroig authority that coordinates activities in several towns and villages in the area. The Palace of the Counts of Cervellón will be opened in autumn next year but don’t wait until then to enjoy the delights of this attractive inland paradise.
