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MAYOR'S GREETING
HISTORY ENVIRONMENT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY PUBLIC FESTIVITIES OUTSTANDING BUILDINGS GASTRONOMY HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS OTHER INTERESTING ASPECTS |
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Versión en español
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| San Antonio is situated 70 km from the province's capital, Valencia. With its more than 2000 inhabitants it is Spain's largest village, and probably also Europe's. It is the third most populated urban nucleus of the region Requena-Utiel. | |
| With respect to communication, it also holds the third place of the region in importance.Through the village passes the old national road N-III, which is used by the daily bus service, as well as the railway which connects Valencia with Madrid and Cuenca, and it's very near to the highway A-3. San Antonio will shortly be better connected to Spain's capital by means of the projected route of the highspeed train AVE, as it is expected to hold a station. |
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| As has been described by Antonio Zahonero García in his book Raíces y estampas de mi aldea, San Antonio is relatively young as an urban nucleus. With an existence between 250 and 300 years old, we do not have old history, neither do the chronicles of nearby village's refer important events linked to San Antonio. | |
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What we do know is that in the year 1235 a hermitage was built. In that place, in front of its façade there used to be a millenary elm tree where, tradition tells, a Christian soldier sought refuge when he was being followed by Muslim troops, and promised to build the hermitage consagrated to that day's saint (13th of June, Saint Anthony's Day). The soldier was saved and fulfilled his promise. In 1960 the local parish priest ordered its demolition in order to build the current church in its place. |
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San Antonio is south and at the feet of the Juan Navarro mountain range, whose highest peak is 1.167 m high. In it we find the typical fauna of the region: partridges, hares, wild rabbits, wild boars...
The underground is rich in aquifers, as is proved by the numerous fountains that surround the village: Fuente del Mono, Fuente de la Jedrea, San Benedetto... The Magro river runs through the south of San Antonio, turning its surroundings into fertile water meadows and running through all the municipality of Requena, joining the Júcar river in the region of the Ribera Alta. |
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| The economic activity of San Antonio is mainly agricultural. The vineyard is the king of the region, this being specially true in this village, due to the great care taken of the vineyards as well as with the fruit it bears, and the result obtained from it by the many wine cellars here. | |
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The Vine Growers' Cooperative El Progreso is responsible for most of the agricultural activity of the region. This cooperative has currently 2.000 hectares of vineyards in production, which produce anually about twelve million kilograms of grape. The coperative also has an oil mill which presses between 500.000 and 600.000 kilograms of olives yearly, and produces a delicious olive oil, mainly for own consumption, and partly for sale. The cooperative counts at the moment aproximately 1.100 members, between the wine cellar and the oil press. Web site: http://coopelprogreso.en.eresmas.com |
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Los Baltasares wine cellar, of great tradition in the region, produces only red wines, under the label Marmitón, such as Crianza (rests a minimum of 6 months in oak tree barrels), Reserva (between 6 and 60 months) and Gran Reserva (more than 60 months), all of which have great prestige and fame.
Dominio de la Vega is another wine cellar, settled in the "Casa del Conde", which was restored for this purpose. Apart from excellent red and rosé wines, it also produces a young and very awarded cava. For more information take a look at the web site: http://www.dominiodelavega.com. In San Antonio we find a great diversity of industry and business, such as kitchen furniture carpentries, metalic carpentries, furniture factories, agricultural manufacture and reparation workshops, textile industry, construction industry, a mineral water bottling factory, a frozen goods warehouse, marble... |
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| There is also good commerce, with two supermarkets, a pharmacy, hairdressers, a printer's, banks, tabacco shop, clothes shops, fishmonger's, butcher's, drugstores... which make San Antonio a great shopping place not only for the local inhabitants but also for the people of nearby villages like Barrio Arroyo, San Juan, Roma or Calderón. | |
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The festivities of the Patron Saint San Antonio de Padua are celebrated in June. 13th of June is the festivities' greatest day. During five days the festivities' comission is responsible for the entertainment of the inhabitants, organizing la Noche de la Zurra, open air dances, street music, children's games and other spectacles for everyone.
Apart from these festivities, many others are celebrated through the year: the 5th of January, the Twelfth Night Procession (Three King's Night), which runs through many streets and ends in the church, where the children's letters addressed to these Three Magic Kings are collected. The 16th of January, one of San Antonio's oldest traditions, la Noche de las Hogueras (the Night of Fire), where people bring out wood they may have and a tractor collects it to then bring it to the Churches' square, where it is set fire by the village's oldest inhabitant. The next day, after the mass dedicated to San Antonio Abad, La Subasta (the Auction) is celebrated. People bring all kinds of food, from pork's feet to chicken specially bred for this day, which are then auctioned. For Carnival, in February, the group El Sorbete organizes the fancy dress parade and the prices. At the Carnival's dance, organized by the Town Hall, prices for the best costume are given. In April, on Resurrection's Sunday and the following Monday, the Monas festivity is celebrated, where it is tradition to go to the countryside to eat the typical "bollos de magras". Towards the end of July or beginning of August the Sports and Music Club organizes the summer festivities. Several activities are celebrated by the village's swimming pool such as an open air dance, a giant paella, open air cinema... The 15th of August is the Día del Melón (Watermelon's Day). On this day people go to the countryside to eat this fruit. |
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Casa Aquilina: Situated on calle Luis Dicenta, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century. It belonged to Don Victorio García and Doña Aquilina. The current owner is Doña María Victoria Duyos García, great-granddaughter of the first owners and daughter of the local poet Rafael Duyos Giorgeta. |
| La Concepción: Built in 1910, it is known as the "Casa de las Coronelas" (Colonel's House) because it was built by the then colonel and later brigadier general Don Clemente Mathe y de Sado Cagigal. The present owners are Don José Luis and Doña Concepción. |
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Los Parrales: Built in 1941, its owners were Don Deogracias Ramos Aspas and Doña Francisca Pérez Calvo. The house is 3.300 m2 big, of which 1.702 are inhabitable. The house's ceilings are the original, and the floor is made of mosaics of different sizes. At this moment Los Parrales is empty and put up for sale. |
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The local sausages made by the region's butchers are very typical and delicious for even the most demanding palate. They are made with pork, of which everything is used. The most famous are morcilla, perro, longaniza, chorizo and the güeña.
With respect to the regional cuisine we find the ajoarriero (made with potatoes, codfish, eggs, olive oil and garlic), the morteruelo con tapadillas (made of liver, grated bread, spices and garlic), the arroz al horno and the olla (made mainly with pork). Whether red or rosé, wine is undoubtedly the king of the table. Made with great care in our region, it is the ideal complement to our cuisine, not forgeting the excellent cava which one can taste at any of our winecellars. |
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The music band is one of San Antonio's most important culture pilars. La Armónica de San Antonio, as it is known, is one of the most important music bands of the Valencian Country.
It has taken part many times in the Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Música de Valencia (International Music Band Festival in Valencia city), where it has obtained important prices and been praised by known composers. |
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| The music band has currently 123 associated musicians, 69 students in its music school "Músico Jaime Hernández", and during the year 2003 an adult music school was established, with 13 students. There are 14 teachers working for the music school. | |
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In order to manage this organization, it is directed by two goberning bodies, one of them formed by men, and the other one formed by women, which are certainly important in the preparation of the acts for Santa Cecilia's Day (Patron Saint of musicians), in November.
There is also in San Antonio an amateur theater company that performs yearly plays in honor to the Queen of the Festivities and her Honour Court. |
| Still regarding to Culture, San Antonio has a folklore dancing group of "Moros y Cristianos" (Moors and Christians, representation of ancient battles from the Reconquest of Spain, composed by 12 dancers, 3 musicians and a standard bearer. | |
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Other associations in the village are: Housewifes Association Tyrius, Society of Sporting Pigeons (Colombiculture), Socio-Cultural Association "El Olmo", the Mountain Bike Club "La Vega", a football team...
The Sports and Music Club gives shelter to a leisure zone, two swimming pools, a pelota court, a tennis court, a ballroom, and a snack bar. |
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About 180 children attend classes every day at Public School Manuel García Izquierdo. This school has 17 teachers who impart classes to children of between 3 and 14 years old. Association A.M.P.A. guarantees the correct educationa and a proper internal management of the school. |
| In August 2004 the 9th Edition of the Marathon "GRAN FONDO DE LA VEGA" was celebrated: | |
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Last update: September 20th, 2004
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