Levantinism reconnects with Vallejo in a guided tour on the occasion of his centenary.

The historic Campo de Vallejo came alive again last Saturday morning during a guided tour that brought together a large group of Levante fans and lovers of Valencian football history. Given the success of the event, the club has scheduled another visit for April 9 at 6:30 PM. 

The activity, part of the centenary program of Vallejo's inauguration, is one of the initiatives promoted by the Levante UD Historical Heritage Department to recover and highlight the legacy of a stadium that is essential to understanding the evolution of the club as an entity and Valencian football.

A journey through time

Beyond a simple urban tour, the proposal offered a true journey through time. The challenge involved an exercise in imagination to travel back to the past. A return to 1920s Valencia to explore the layout of Campo de Vallejo from its inauguration to its disappearance in the late 1960s. During this timeline, the city's growth eventually absorbed it.

The starting point at Portal de Vallejo

The starting point was the symbolic Portal de Vallejo, a place where thousands of fans entered the stadium for decades. From there, the group began a tour that allowed them to reconstruct, step by step, the emotional geography of Vallejo. A wall adjacent to the Convent of San Cristobal stands as one of the last visible remnants of Vallejo. Streets, corners, and spaces that are now part of everyday life regained their original significance through stories, anecdotes, and historical episodes.

On the old playing field

One of the most evocative moments of the visit was the opportunity to walk across the surface of the old playing field along the layout of its stands and terraces, allowing attendees to physically place themselves where matches were once played. An experience that helped to grasp the scale of the stadium and connect directly with its past.

History and City

During the itinerary, some of the most significant episodes related to both the stadium and the history of the city were interconnected. The 1957 flood, which deeply affected Valencia and left its mark on Vallejo, was one of the highlighted milestones. The urbanization process that transformed the surroundings and eventually integrated the field into the urban fabric was also addressed.

Sports Memory

On the sports side, the memory took attendees back to figures such as Silvino, the first great scorer of Vallejo wearing the Gimnástico jersey, as well as to matches and moments that are part of the collective granota imagination. The tour found one of its most emotional points when evoking the last match played in the stadium, against Tenerife, in the 1967-1968 season. Levante defeated the Tenerife squad with a goal by Reyes Suárez in a match without prestige. A farewell without solemnity, almost silent, which could be labeled as the last waltz of Vallejo.

A closure full of symbolism

The visit concluded by closing the circle: the group returned to the Portal de Vallejo, entering from Bodría Street, one of the arteries that still preserves the essence of that era. An ending full of symbolism that reinforces the idea that, although the stadium physically disappeared, its memory remains present in the urban landscape.

Vallejo is still alive

The notable attendance and the interest shown by the participants demonstrate that Vallejo is not just a memory but a living part of the identity of Levantinism and the history of the city. This guided tour consolidates the commemorative project for the centenary year of Vallejo. This activity aims to keep alive the heartbeat of a stadium that marked generations. The club has scheduled another similar visit for Thursday, April 9, at 6:30 PM at the old Pont de Fusta station.