La Vila Joiosa- A joyful town to visit!

 Villajoyosa is the Castellano name for a Valencian town, in the Alicante province, with the original name of La Vila Joiosa. The name translates literally as the "joyful town". If you visit this small coastal town on the Costa Blanca, you will understand why.

 

Things to do in Villajoyosa

Painted houses- Instantly recognisable in photographs, is the fishermans quarter, for its rows of traditional Spanish townhouses with their facades painted in rainbow colours. It is said, that they were painted thus, because it made it easier for the fishermen to see their home from the sea and send signals. Whether it is true or not, it adds to the charm of this pretty little pueblo.

Beaches- Villajoyosa boasts 15kms of stunning coastline and 15 beautiful blue flag beaches. These include long stretches of white sand, pebbly coves hidden by steep cliffs, an all year round dog friendly beach and a naturist beach. Only a few kilometeres south of Benidorm, yet this stunning stretch of coastline is worlds away!

The beaches are mostly populated by Spanish day trippers and even in the height of summer there is always space and privacy to be found. The most popular beach is the Centro Beach, which is a lovely sandy beach with the painted houses as its backdrop.

Gastronomy- The town is proud of its gastronomy and there are food festivals throughout the year. The central fish market displays the catches of the day and you can buy your favourite and take it to the canteen to be cooked, for a small extra charge.

Chocolate- The town is famous for it´s chocolate production. Chocolates Valor and Chocolates Clavileño have factories and shops here and Valor has a chocolate museum which is free to visit.

History- The town has a truly fascinating history. There are excavated sites of the Roman walls of the city and a beautiful gothic church, Iglesia de la Asuncion. The town also has many reminders of it´s history of invasions by the Barbary pirates. The town commemorates the most famous invasion every year on the 25th July. Most of the coastal towns hold "Moors and Christians" festivals, but Villajoyosa´s fiesta is unique. The people of the town dress in amazing costumes and re-enact the landing of the Moors, in 1538, the taking of the castle and the conquest of the Christians, when they send the Moors back out to sea. The whole town is alive with festivities. There are fabulous processions, music, dancing and spectacular fireworks.

This beautiful coastal town is one of the Costa Blanca´s hidden gems. Make at least a day of it, but a weekend break here would be heaven!  It is "choc full" of great things to do. It is one of a multitude of amazing places that are on your doorstep if you choose to make your home on the Costa Blanca.

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