Equally stunning is the food market: Valencia's Mercado Central was ... Alongside the thousands of Serrano-style hams on offer - a whole ham on the bone can cost anywhere from €50 ...

A whole 12- to 14-pound ham serves 20 to 24 people, with leftovers, says Ms. Meehan. But if that's too much for your crowd, she suggests buying a half ham. When buying a half ham, choose the shank ...

At the moment when my husband first announced the possibility of working in Valencia, the host city for the 2007 America's Cup (sailing's most coveted prize), I think I might have said, "How exciting.