Casa-Museo de las Rocas (Rocas House-Museum), Valencia

In Valencia’s historic El Carmen district, the Rocas House-Museum is where the city keeps some of its most theatrical religious traditions safely parked. The museum occupies a 15th-century building originally designed to store the famous “rocas”—large ceremonial floats used in the annual Corpus Christi procession. Dating back as far as the 16th century, these wooden giants were shaped like ancient ships, decorated with sculpture and paint, and sent through the streets like floating Bible stories on wheels.

And the rocas are only the beginning. Inside, you’ll also meet the “Gigantes,” towering figures who make ordinary parade costumes look frankly underambitious, along with the “Nanos,” their smaller, dwarf-like companions. Then comes the “Cuca Fera,” a turtle-dragon hybrid that looks as if medieval imagination had a very busy afternoon. It symbolizes fear brought under control through shared ritual. The “Tarasca,” another dragon-like creature with a woman riding on top, delivers the same message with extra drama: evil, yes—but evil on a leash...

The museum also displays costumes, instruments, posters, historic photographs, and objects used in the performances that still animate Valencia’s streets during Corpus Christi. Interactive displays and audiovisual material help explain how the celebration has changed over time while keeping its old sense of spectacle. In short, this museum of floats is Valencia’s centuries-old parade imagination, carefully stored indoors...