Villajoyosa

Villajoyosa, in Valencian: La Vila Joiosa ("the Joyful Town") and officially Villajoyosa/La Vila Joiosa is a coastal town and municipality in the south of the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It is the historic and administrative capital of Marina Baixa county, and is located in the province of Alicante. The town is known locally simply as La Vila.

It is the historic and administrative capital of the comarca of Marina Baixa and is located 32 km from the city of Alicante, in the coastal area known as Costa Blanca (White Coast). It has over three kilometers of beaches, including the Platja Centre (Central Beach), close to the city centre. The river Amadorio runs through La Vila.

The area is famous for its chocolate industry and tourism. One of the most popular tourist attractions is its Gothic Catholic church of the Assumption, with a Baroque altar piece. Another popular destination, the Royal Palm Casino (formerly Casino Costa Blanca), is now closed. The town's festival of Moros i Cristians, celebrated at the end of July, was declared an International Tourist Interest Festival. Currently, this festivity commemorates a boat landing from the Berber pirates that was repelled by the population of the town.



Notable people

 * Marta Baldó, rhythmic gymnast and Olympic Champion (1996, Atlanta)
 * José Catalá, footballer
 * Maisa Lloret, rhythmic gymnast
 * Felipe Orts, road and cyclo-cross cyclist
 * Maxim Kuzminov, Russian defector and helicopter pilot found dead in Villajoyosa
 * Anthony Jung, footballer who was born in Villajoyosa, Spain, to a German mother and Spanish father. He emigrated at the age of three with his divorced mother to Germany.

Twin towns

 * 🇫🇷 Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine, France, since 1989
 * 🇪🇸 Quesada, Spain, since 2006
 * 🇪🇸 Bullas, Spain, since 2006