There are several ways to lure a child to a museum, and the most reliable of these is an initiation into a mystery. This method works the better, the more secrets it promises. For example, while walking around Piazza de la Almoyna in Valencia, say the name: Archaeological Museum. No interest yet?
Now look beneath your feet, and you're already walking through the museum, or instead, its glass roof, through which you can see the ruins of an ancient city. It's the first secret, but here is the second one: to visit the underground city, you must find the entrance, and to do it, you must be a detective. The third secret: at the Museo de la Almoina, you'll take a family journey into Valencia from Roman times, The Visigothic Kingdom, and the Muslim domination of the Iberian Peninsula.
The excavated ruins of ancient Valencia are considered one of the finest archaeological sites in Europe. The ruins of Valencia's old city centre were excavated in the 1980s, revealing the foundations of buildings built over 2,000 years ago. The crumbled stones leave one wondering where the street once led.
What did the building, of which fragments of the apse have remained, look like? On whose grave did the tombstone stand? Which church's entrance was supported by a carved column? No sooner do you start to dream that you are transported thousands of years back — the museum scenery complements what time has destroyed. Soon you see a fragment of the pavement and a whole street with residential houses along it. Lift your eyes: through the glass roof, you can see the same sky as the city was centuries ago.
For those visiting the Archaeological Museum of La Almoina, it's good to know your pace: in a few steps, you'll traverse a century of Valencian history. The Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, the Visigoth state, the Moorish kingdom and the late Middle Ages will all come before you. Some building names may be familiar to children.
For example, Valencia has fragments of the Alcázar (if you've been to Andalusia, you may have seen the Alcázar of Seville). Museum models provide a good illustration of ancient Valencian life, as they recreate the appearance of different buildings.
In addition to the ruins carefully encircled by glass, other archaeological finds can be viewed in the museum: ceramics, coins, jewellery, fragments of building decoration, sculptures and discovered tombs.
The archaeological museum is small, so we suggest organising a day of history. The Tin Soldiers ' Museum is four hundred metres from the Museo de la Almoina, where tiny figures play out significant battles.
