La Vila Joiosa () is a coastal town and municipality in the Province of Alicante,

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. The town is known to the locals simply as La Vila. It is the historic and administrative capital of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

'' of

Marina Baixa Marina Baixa () or es, Marina Baja is a ''comarca'' in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the ''comarques'' of Comtat on the northwest, Marina Alta on the northeast, Alacantí and Alcoià on the west and the Mediterranean Sea on th ...

and is located 32 km from the city of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, in the coastal area known as

Costa Blanca The Costa Blanca (, , literally meaning "White Coast") is over of Mediterranean coastline in the Alicante province, on the southeastern coast of Spain. It extends from the town of Dénia in the north, beyond which lies the Costa del Azahar (or ...

(''White Coast''). La Vila Joiosa literally means ''Joyful Town'', although the inhabitants often abbreviate it to ''La Vila''. It has over three kilometers of beaches, including ''La 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 Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Notable people

Maisa Lloret María Isabel Lloret Ivorra (born 4 June 1971 in Villajoyosa, Alicante), better known as Maisa Lloret, is a retired Spain, Spanish rhythmic gymnast, currently a Valencian politician. She competed for Spain in the Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Ol ...

, rhythmic gymnast *

Marta Baldó Marta Baldó Marín (born 8 April 1979) is a Spanish rhythmic gymnast and Olympic Champion. She won a gold medal with the Spanish group at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The team was formed by Marta, Estela Giménez, Nuria Cabanil ...

, rhythmic gymnast and Olympic Champion (1996, Atlanta) *

José Catalá José Manuel Catalá Mazuecos (born 1 January 1985) is a Spanish footballer who plays for CD Gerena as a central defender or a left back. Club career Born in Villajoyosa, Province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Catalá emerged through lo ...

, footballer * Felipe Orts, road and cyclo-cross cyclist

Twin towns

Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine Vitré (; br, Gwitreg; gallo ''Vitræ'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of 17,798 inhabitants (2015). It lies on the edge of Br ...

, France, since 1989 * Quesada, Spain, since 2006 *

Bullas Bullas () is a municipality and town in the Region of Murcia, southeast Spain, located 53 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. it is the highest municipality in the Region of Murcia after Moratalla. The surrounding area is noted for the ...

, Spain, since 2006

References

External links

Official website
Seaside resorts in Spain {{Valencia-geo-stub