Roteros

From the Plaza del Carmen to Serranos Street, Roteros extends, via that gave name to the town of Roteros, The predecessor of the Barrio del Carmen that we now know. In this neighborhood next to the river were the rothorium or water tanks to macerate flax or hemp that served as weaving factories for Muslims and, later, to Christians, and that's where the name of the street that concerns us now comes from.. Now we raffle bicycles and pedestrians to find the most authentic Valencian ceramics, small and large wonders in the illustrator Cecilia Plaza's store or the interesting Corpus Christi Museum. As we walk we savor the passage of time, that leaves a sweet aftertaste when reading the inscription on the ceramic number plate 22: "In memory of Vicent Gómez Serrano, poet i kiosk. The neighborhood will never forget you". This has always been a neighborhood with soul, and it continues to be so even though the pandemic has businesses on the ropes. Today we will reveal the secrets of the shops on Roteros Street, leaving for a better time (very close, we hope) the appetizing bars and restaurants that at this moment have had to lower their blinds. We begin the walk.

NATURAL WORLD
— Pl. Furs, 1
The Natural World shoe store is located in Plaza dels Furs, but it inaugurates Roteros Street from its wooden showcase. On their shelves we see 100% ecological footwear with current designs, simple and fresh, Made in La Rioja with organic cotton and natural rubber. The youth of the brand does not detract from the quality of the product, because many years of family tradition in the sector support it. They proudly say that the production process is environmentally friendly and no leftovers are thrown away., everything is recycled. The pandemic has slowed down the opening of the store in Valencia, which finally opened in January of this year. It is evident that this is not the best time to start a business., but yes to spread his philosophy and, as they themselves say, “join forces to guarantee a better world for the little ones”.

THE CERAMIC CORNER
— Roteros, 1
Upon entering this small place we find a man surrounded by plates, tiles and pots, who traces plant motifs with his brush. This is Sasha Senchak who, upon arriving from his native Ukraine twenty years ago, learned everything about Valencian ceramics, becoming an expert in socarrat and painted ceramics in the Valencian style of the 18th century. The pieces in the store will be sold again when tourists return, always happy to take a little piece of Valencia to their countries. Meanwhile, Sasha works on commission for long-time clients who demand reproductions of traditional paintings, the name of your chalet in ceramic or a hand drawing on the tiles of your kitchen or bathroom.

MONTANER OVEN
— Roteros, 5
At number five we find the Horno Montaner, that since 1932 It already has the third generation of this family of artisan bakers. The visit alone is worth it., since part of the Arab wall of Valencia from the 11th century is displayed when crossing the door, a little surprise that came to light during a renovation. Here everything is done by hand: croissants, Christina cake, sweet potato cakes or small bites like cookies oh go brownies that give one back to life and, If we order it or come on a Sunday, we can take one of their delicious apple pies, with incomparable puff pastry and toasted cream. They tell us that now bakery bread is no longer consumed as much as before due to the rise of franchises and industrial supermarket breads.. Luckily, The people of the neighborhood and many outsiders know how to appreciate the good work of a business that is located in a historic place where, as the data reveals, from 1700 a furnace is placed.

CORPUS MUSEUM OR HOUSE OF ROCKS
— Rocks, 3
In a small street that leaves Roteros is the Corpus Christi Museum or House of the Rocks., although the entrance is on the street in question. The House of Rocks dates back to the 15th century, when Peter the Ceremoniousordered its construction in order for it to serve as a shelter for the cars and other supplies that accompanied the Corpus procession. Let us remember that Corpus Christi in Valencia has been the main festival of the city for years., the big party, celebrated since the 14th century no less, attractive for its religious and identity character. Just by looking at the building we already see the giants and the big heads, a huge turtle, a dragon and a rock, one of those triumphal cars with allegorical figures where the mysteries of the festival were represented. On the upper floors of the museum we find different reproductions, the most striking is that of the Corpus Scroll, imitation of a 19th century original that has a length of 31 meters long, where an unknown author explained the most impressive procession in the city, which is currently celebrated on the eighth Sunday following Easter Sunday.

CECILIA PLAZA
— Roteros, 14
Cecilia and Diego's store is one of those magical places that raise the value of the city, one of those beautiful stores where every object overwhelms you. Cecilia Plaza is an illustrator and designer of dream images: a forest, a hug, a city. He started selling puppets while studying Fine Arts, made the leap to large advertising campaigns, and ended up deciding to set up her own store with her husband, Cecilia designs and Diego directs the production. The striking designs, The illustrator's tender and colorful designs are printed on fabric and different Valencian workshops turn them into bags., cushions, rugs, muslin, cases, masks, purses or tablecloths; They also use paper for prints, calendars or notebooks or ceramics to make delicious decorative plates. Some may think this is a difficult business., But Cecilia's precious objects have been for sale in the Carmen neighborhood for seven years now., four in this location that has housed a store as famous in the sixties as Muebles Peris, another of discs, and to a painting workshop. Come, we're leaving now, that makes us want to buy everything.

AL VENT
— Roteros, 17
Like her twin sister from Calatrava Street, Al Vent welcomes us in Roteros with a romantic and attractive showcase that invites us to come in immediately. We cross the small pergola that adorns its door and find an infinite number of jewels at our disposal.: pre-columbian style bronze pieces, chokers with simple half-moon pendants or origami figures, more classic style earrings or ethnic bracelets. Silver is the protagonist, but we also find stone jewelry, gold plated silver or steel. Trend, quality, good prices and friendliness are the key points of this store that offers a lot to the walker or sailor. For the latter we recommend visiting their website alvent.com.

JADE
— Roteros, 19
The concept of Vintage Shop falls short of defining a store where we find treasures from all eras: furniture, ceramics, tableware, vases, electric coffee makers or those heated with alcohol, ashtrays… But, above all, We find beautiful pieces of jewelry from the fifties to the eighties, that land in your window from the flea markets and markets of England. its owner, Cristina Gimeno, exudes charm and friendliness, and transmits the love for beautiful objects, although he insists that here we will always find useful pieces, with a special design. fan of Car Boot SaleEnglish or markets from the trunk (so called because it is in the trunk where sellers offer their objects for sale), Cristina has not stopped looking for special pieces: Some of his greatest hits are a camphor wood trunk from a 19th century English ship or a set of choker and earrings from the same period.. His dream was to open a store that would bring a little piece of England to his city., and he did it four years ago. Let's hope for many more.

HE TAP
— Roteros, 9
Tap is one of those restaurants that hugs you as soon as you enter.. Little, unpretentious, sincere. Jesus runs it, who bets on the nearby product and on a letter to share: We can start with a Valencian tomato salad with bonito, continue with the cod confit cod cakes with honey all i oli and a tuna tataki, until you reach the Iberian pluma with celery puree and potatoes as a main course, and close a wonderful meal with a fennel chocolate cake or a tiramisu with horchata cream. To accompany all these delights, nothing better than a very special wine like The Sixth Element, one of many alternatives for small productions that offers its careful menu.

THE FORCAT
— Roteros, 12
The beautiful Valencian tiles on its façade indicate a date: 1985. And it's been thirty-six years since this traditional Valencian cuisine restaurant, run by the Alfonso Sánchez family, It serves all kinds of rice to the more than one hundred and thirty diners who can sit in its rooms.. The paellas are the star of the house, Valencian, seafood or lobster, because they prepare them in the traditional style: Once the rice is done, they give it a blast in the oven so that the dish is shiny., with spectacular appearance and flavor. As a curiosity, We found in one of the dining rooms a display case with photos that commemorate the year's Fallas. 1961, when Lolita Alfonso, one of the sisters in the family, she became a major child fallera in Valencia, it is not known very well how: A letter arrived at the orphanage where he lived to announce his reign., a whole mystery. Charity or politics? In any case, A visit to El Forcat meets all expectations, gastronomic and curious.