The Carrer Major is made up of two streets joined together, Gomis and Maians. It may not look like it at first, but it follows a medieval route: the old road east to Albaida and Gandia. Both are lined with 18th- and 19th-century noble houses and two 18th-century churches: Sant Carles Borromeo and Sant Francesc.
A stately street
The palaces of several noble families linked to the Vila are concentrated here, a reminder of the days when Ontinyent earned a reputation for grandeur among its neighbours. The most notable:
- The 18th-century Nadal house.
- The Maians palace, or palace of the Marquises of Montemira, 18th century, substantially remodelled in the 19th.
- The Barons of Santa Bàrbara palace (1750), now the House of Culture.
- On a side branch, the Puig (or Velázquez) palace (17th-19th centuries), home to the Municipal Archive and the "Pare Lluís Galiana" public library, and the 18th-century Cerdà house.
At festival time
Every August the Band Parade and the Contrabando of the Moors and Christians festival pass along Gomis and Maians streets.
Visiting
It's a few minutes' walk from Plaça de Baix, next to the Pont Vell. Look up: doorways, balconies and coats of arms tell the story of each house.
Source: Ontinyent Tourism.
