Villajoyosa

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Villajoyosa (Template:IPA), in Valencian: Template:Lang (Template:IPA), meaning "The Joyful Town", and officially Template:Lang / Template:Lang,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 region, and is located in the province of Alicante. The town is known locally simply as Template:Lang.<ref>Lonely Planet Costa Blanca Miles Roddis – 2002 – Page 216 La Vila Joiosa (Villajoyosa) postcode 03570 • pop 23,700 la Vila Joiosa ('Joyful Town') is, in fact, a fairly staid place for most of the year. Its patron saint is Saint Martha. Known to the locals simply as la Vila, it perks up in summertime, dons its glad rags and has a ...</ref>

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 town centre. The river of la Vila (incorrectly also known as Amadòrio) runs through the town.

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 reopened after major renovation. The town's festival of Moros i Cristians (Moors and Christians),<ref>Villajoyosa Moors and Christians Fiesta Template:Webarchive, alicante-spain.info</ref> 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.<ref>Archived at Ghostarchive Template:Cbignore and the Wayback Machine Template:Cbignore: Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref>

Notable people

Marta Baldó, rhythmic gymnast and Olympic Champion (1996, Atlanta)
José Catalá, footballer
Lucía Cortez Llorca, tennis player
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.