Patio de Manzana vs Patio de Luz

Patio de Manzana

Patio de Luz

Another feature of Spanish apartment building architecture is something called a patio de luz, a light patio. These are not to be confused with a patio de manzana which is the interior area of all of the buildings which circle around a block of flats. Most of the buildings in Valencia have a patio de manzana. I felt robbed when I lived in a place without this cool feature—cool because it’s fun to get a view of the back side of the buildings in the street. Few buildings have this interior shaft that gives light to the inside of a building. The rooms that open on to this interior shaft can be a little noisy because you can hear your neighbors only a few meters away but it is yet another interesting aspect to Spanish life that I feel privileged to share.