Claustre de La Nau

València — Ciutat Vella (Carrer de la Universitat)

Two streets from the bustle, the colonnaded courtyard of La Nau — the historic seat of the Universitat de València since the 15th century — is one of the calmest cloisters in the old town, and hardly anyone steps in to see it. Its double columns, the statue of humanist Lluís Vives in the middle and the stillness of orange trees and stone make it the perfect place to sit a while in the shade, away from the crowds.