THE FIRES OF LAS FALLAS

Vicki Wolfe spends her Travel Channel hours in the marketing and sales department for all things New Media - which includes the ever-changing worlds of web and mobile. Out of office hours she has an unhealthy appetite for travelling, and recently returned from a year working in Spain and South America. Here she takes a trip back down memory lane, and visits the city of Valencia during its infamous festival of 'Las Fallas'.

You might associate France with the Eiffel Tower and the odorous joys of garlic, Italy with gondalas and pizza, and Spain with bullfighting and tapas. Arguably however the latter, and in particular the old city of Valencia, should be synonymous with something much more general: "Fiestas" or, as we know them, parties.

Picture if you will the following scene: two thousand fireworks, four hundred papier-mâché figurines reaching some 30 metres in height, a few million tourists and all the firemen you can pull together from within a 135 square-kilometre radius. This sets the backdrop for the spectacular, and most unusual event, hosted by Valencia since the early 18th Century, the festivities of 'Las Fallas'.

The origins of this weeklong annual festival are hotly debated. They take place in the middle of March and the most likely explanation centres on the activities of local wood-carvers some 250 years ago. When the long winter nights gave way to brighter spring evenings, the story goes that Valencian carpenters used to burn their parots, the wooden structures used as supports for their oil lamps. Over the years, the carpenters became more and more involved in this annual burning, and developed a rather unhealthy attachment to their parots, dressing them in old clothes, even to resemble well-known local people.

Thus emerged the humorous and satirical character of one of Spain's most unusual festivals; a festival that's grown and grown (not only in terms of the size of the figures involved) to culminate in a grand spectacle of bonfires where in a matter of seconds, the papier-mâché "fallas" that have taken a year to build go up in smoke; surely a reason in itself to visit this extraordinarily extrovert city? Where else in the world would you be actively encouraged to light 380 bonfires in the space of only 2 square kilometres?

As far as the must-sees go in Valencia during the festival, the first on the list is pretty obvious, checking out the artistic brilliance that splatters the city from top to toe. Each falla is made and paid for by members of one of the city's communities, which consist of two or three adjacent streets. The manmade figurines are definitely an impressive expression of the Valencian spirit, as are the wealth of accompanying ceremonies that are held between the 15th and 19th of March every year.

Nowadays, this increasingly popular festival has spawned a huge industry involving crews of local artists and crates of materials which all come together to create a host of lavish figures sporting far-fetched poses - which by the way are designed to out-do and better the neighbours' equally outrageous offering. The whole thing's very competitive.

At the same time, there are also various processions taking place throughout the city, paying tribute to the central figure of Valencia, the city's Patron known as "La Virgen de los Desamparodos" (Our Lady of the Foresaken). No less than 40 tonnes of red, white and pink carnations are carefully scaffolded around her when local women sporting the most fantastic frocks pass through the city's central square in their thousands, breasts heaving with emotion as they dress the sacred statue with their floral tributes. Also not to be missed is the spectacular firework display known as "La Nit del Foc", which takes place on the 18th. Way into the small hours you can enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of tonnes of gunpowder as it fires and flares up into the night sky.

The highlight of the final day is not only a tremendous street Procession of Fire (which is pretty much the locals showing-off their fireworks and related tricks), but the even more impressive "Nit de la Crema". This is the culmination of the festivities when all the fallas around the city are engulfed in flames, heralding the start of spring. One word of warning though, if you're not usually a fan of loud bangs then be prepared for noise pollution on a whole new level. Earplugs wouldn't go amiss, particularly if you're planning on bringing the kiddies along. The visual effects in general are stunning but the firework displays won't just leave a long-lasting visual impression, your ears could be left with some unwanted memories for some time after the display is over.

Without a doubt Valencia itself is a vibrant, extrovert city, even without the added attraction of its March festivities and the accompanying pyrotechnic mania. One of Valencia's most unusual characteristics is its split personality. Stick to the centre of town and you'll find all the history, a wealth of beautiful churches and cathedrals, classic tapas bars and lively squares. Head down to the seafront and port areas and instead you'll find modern hotels, the most futuristic museums, and several decadent restaurants, and bars. Oh, and this year lots of boats, all in preparation for the oh-so prestigious America's Cup. So there's certainly no shortage of places to visit outside of your festival itinerary, just be sure to get yourself a map, and don't be too ambitious. It's a good hour's walk from the city down to the beachfront.

So for now I'll say hasta luego, and on that note, a final word of advice. A wise way to spend your journey across to Spain would be pouring over a dictionary. Contrary to popular opinion, "inglés" isn't as common as you might think, and friendly shop assistants and bar staff love nothing more than a foreigner who tries to speak the local lingo. More often than not they'll give you a generous discount just for trying!

Vicki travelled to Valencia with Ryanair from London Stansted and stayed at the Hotel Confortel Aqua.