The Valencia Edit

Q: Is it easy to find an apartment in Valencia?

The short answer: no.The longer answer includes disappearing listings, impossible requirements, apartments that look nothing like their photographs and the minor complication that I had already decided I was going to live in Russafa before Valencia had agreed to this plan.When we moved from Dénia, I thought finding our new home would be manageable. In Dénia, the first apartment I viewed became our home. Valencia had other ideas.This week’s new article tells the real story: why I chose Russafa, what made the search so difficult, what I learned and how we eventually found somewhere to live.

Ieva Pavilone

4 days ago

2 min read

THE VALENCIA EDIT

Real life. Real people. Mostly Russafa.

Hi from Russafa—where the streets are loud, apartments disappear before you have finished reading the listing, and a complete stranger can somehow become the person you call for wine on Friday.

This is the first proper edition of this newsletter, so let me tell you what you’ll find here.

Guapa Girl began with women finding one another and building real friendships in Valencia. But life here is bigger than pretty cafés and girls’ evenings. It’s finding a home, dealing with schools and paperwork, discovering your neighbourhood, raising children, starting again and occasionally wondering what on earth you have done.

So this newsletter will bring all of it together: honest Valencia stories, useful discoveries, Russafa life, events worth leaving the house for and people you may actually want to meet.

No fake motivation. No pretending that moving abroad is one long Mediterranean holiday.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

RUSSAFA LOCAL IS GROWING

Russafa Local has already grown to 183 people—and I love that it’s becoming a mixture of locals, newcomers and people who simply care about what is happening around them.

It isn’t only another place to advertise things. I want it to become somewhere we can share useful information, discover local businesses, talk honestly about how the neighbourhood is changing and occasionally disagree without behaving as though civilisation has collapsed.

Russafa is colourful, complicated, loved, criticised and never boring. That’s exactly why there is so much to talk about.

HERE

Artisans working on crafts in a local Russafa workshop.

IS IT EASY?

Is it easy to find an apartment in Valencia?

The short answer: no.

The longer answer includes disappearing listings, impossible requirements, apartments that look nothing like their photographs and the minor complication that I had already decided I was going to live in Russafa before Valencia had agreed to this plan.

When we moved from Dénia, I thought finding our new home would be manageable. In Dénia, the first apartment I viewed became our home. Valencia had other ideas.

This week’s new article tells the real story: why I chose Russafa, what made the search so difficult, what I learned and how we eventually found somewhere to live.

TikTok

WHAT’S WORTH YOUR TIME THIS WEEK?

September clearly has no intention of calming down.

My three strongest Valencia picks are:

⚔️ SATURDAY: Gran Entrada Morocristiana in Cabanyal

An enormous parade with elaborate costumes, music, dancers and Moorish and Christian groups filling Calle de la Reina. Free, family-friendly and probably the most visual event of the week.

🥘 SUNDAY: World Paella Day at La Marina

Twelve international chefs, live cooking, music and plenty of paella. Entry is free, with tasting portions available to buy.

🎭 ALL WEEK: Russafa Escènica

Theatre, dance and performances appearing in unusual spaces around Russafa and across Valencia.

I’ve collected the dates, locations, prices and ticket information in one easy guide.

HERE

Ieva

Guapa Girl Era + Russafa Local

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Thank You!