The small city of Villena Spain has a history dating back to the Roman era.
The city is part of Alicante province, and it’s a few kilometres away with the provinces of Murcia and Albacete.
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Where is Villena Spain?
Located in the northwestern part of Alicante province, Villena is an inland city about an hour’s drive from the beaches of the Costa Blanca.
The nearest international airport is located at Alicante, 47km from Villena with another international airport at Valencia a little further and to the north.
There are four direct trains each day that arrive here from the Spanish capital of Madrid and the fastest journey takes a little over two hours.
If you drive towards the sea, you will find Santa Pola and Torrevieja in around 1 hour.
(Villena Spain – Google Maps)
Other resorts in the Costa Blanca are include Guardamar, Orihuela City and La Marina.
Around one hour and a half away, you will find the towns:
You will love Villena Spain
What is the History of Villena?
The earliest recorded history of Villena began during the period of Roman occupation around 2000 years ago.
Among its history, there was a significant earthquake that devastated the community in 1829.
Villena is also famed for its rich and diverse culture as well as for the gold Bronze Age treasure that was unearthed here.
The castle of Marqueses de Villena was built during the medieval period and sits atop San Cristobal Hill.
The Christians then invaded the area in the 13th century and their history is recorded in the Gothic churches of Santiago and Santa Maria.
Yecla is around 20 minutes of Villena Spain, a town wich has also been a historical intersection.
General Information about Villena Spain
Located on the right bank of the Vinapolo River, Villena lies at the centre of an important grape growing industry.
Villena Spain is about 100km of the city of Murcia.
Other industries here include the production of wine from those grapes, in addition to the manufacturing of soap, salt, furniture and shoes.
The latest figures available for the local population are around 35,000 people.
There is a low percentage of foreign residents in the town unlike Orihuela Costa.
Villena is around one hour aways from Benidorm and Finestrat.
Regarding Denia, it would take you around 1.5 hours to get there.
The historical city of Cartagena is also around 1.5 hours.
What is the Weather like in Villena?
Villena’s continental climate means summers are hot and mostly clear skies, while the winter can be cold, windy with some cloud.
There is annually little rainfall recorded here.
The hottest time of year is generally from mid June until mid September with an average daily temperature of around 27C, during the hottest month of August the temperature ranges from a nighttime low of 18C, to a maximum daytime average of 30C.
Winter generally lasts from mid November until mid March with an average high temperature of 17C.
January is the coldest month of the year with an average low of 3C and a high on average of 13C.
Over the course of each year there is a monthly average rainfall of 13mm, with October being the wettest month with an average recorded as being 32mm.
The month of July is the driest month with an average of just 4mm.
August is the best time of year for swimming in the sea when the water temperature rises to a little over 25C (warmer than Alcoy).
What Architecture can be seen in Villena Spain?
The best example of architecture to be found in Villena is the medieval Atalaya Castle built before the 12th century.
Other examples of architecture to be discovered in the city includes the Gothic style of the 16th century Church of Santiago and the Neo-Mudejar style of the 19th and early 20th century Plaza Cubierta de Villena completed in 1924.
There is so much history in Villena Spain, as in Guadalest.
Gastronomy
The majority of local dishes found in Villena include the use of short-grain rice, fresh seafood despite the distance from the sea, and its use of garden fresh vegetables, all accompanied by the fruity wines produced locally.
Paella is widely available as a specialty of the region, including Villajoyosa and Albir, where there as are plenty of snacks such as tapas in the numerous Spanish restaurants available here.
How much does it cost to rent or buy property in Villena?
The property market in Villena offers some amazing properties at very reasonable prices.
Apartments are generally available from 20,000 Euros up to 70,000, although some are listed in excess of 100,000 Euros.
Detached houses start from just 42,000 Euros
Villas are available from less than 200,000 to over 700,000 Euros.
The long term rental market is very small and began with three and four bed apartments available from 400 Euros per month.
What are the most Interesting Attractions I should visit in Villena?
The Church of Santiago
This Gothic Church dates from the 16th century and the most striking effect of the architecture are the torsa columns, these only exist in three places around the world, to see the others you will need to visit the Convent of Santo Domingo or the Lonja de Valencia.
Museo Villena
This small museum holds something of relatively high historical value.
The 59 Bronze Age artifacts and findings discovered by archaeologist Jose Maria Soler Garcia.
The 10 kg of gold, silver and amber includes pendants, jewelry, bowls, rings and bottles.
Castle of Villena
Atalaya Castle was completed before the 12th century.
The castle became a part of the Kingdom of Castile in the 13th century.
Only one of the three original entrances remain in use today.
The castle was abandoned for many years before it was looted by the French in the Peninsular Wars.
It was declared a Historical Artistic Monument in 1931, before full restoration work to bring the castle back to its former state was completed in 1958.
Today, the castle is a famous tourist spot, attracting visitors from all over the world.
Villena Visitor Centre
The visitor centre offers information about the attractions of the city.
Plaza Cubierta de Villena
This structure dated from 1924 and was designed by architect Julio Carillero.
The building of stone and brick is in neo-Mudejar style.
The Conception responds to the historical style that was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries and consisted of restoring architectural styles of earlier periods in history.
Museo Escultor Antonio Navarro Santafe
The concept of this museum was based on the ideas of the artist himself who converted the ground floor of his house into a studio.
It comprises of three arches, each in a different style constructed by the artist himself and used to house objects on pedestals he brought here from his studio in Madrid.
Exhibits on display here include sculptures, scrolls, writings, sketches and photographs.
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