Villena

Human presence around Villena goes back roughly 50,000 years, to Middle Palaeolithic remains found in the Cueva del Cochino. Neolithic settlements followed across the valley — caves, the terraces of the Vinalopó river, the shores of an ancient lagoon — and by the Eneolithic period simple metal objects were already appearing. Iberian settlements occupied several hilltop sites, and the passage of the Via Augusta through the Vinalopó valley made Roman influence here particularly strong.

After the Muslim invasion of 711, the region fell within the territory of the Visigothic duke Teodomiro, whose treaty with the conquerors in 713 may contain the first reference to Villena as a settled place. By the eleventh century at the latest, Villena was the head of an administrative district that covered Yecla, Caudete, Sax and Benejama. A remarkable footnote to its Bronze Age past surfaced in 1963, when a hoard of 59 gold, silver, iron and amber objects — bracelets, bowls and small vessels — was found in a dry riverbed nearby, weighing close to ten kilos. Known as the Tesoro de Villena, it is thought to have been deliberately hidden, perhaps by a local ruler connected to the nearby Bronze Age settlement of Cabezo Redondo.

The historic centre of Villena clusters around the Castillo de la Atalaya, a castle built by the Arabs in the medieval period and declared a historic-artistic ensemble in 1968. A second castle, the Castillo de Salvatierra, was built over an earlier Iberian settlement and remained in use until the Atalaya replaced it; today it stands largely in ruins, though its original Arab structure and later additions remain legible and have been valuable for the study of the medieval period in the area.

The Iglesia Arciprestal de Santiago, declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931, is considered one of the most important Gothic-Renaissance complexes in the Comunidad Valenciana. Its three-nave plan and twisted columns are characteristic of Catalan Gothic, while later Renaissance elements include the sacristy doorway and baptismal font. The Iglesia de Santa María was built over a former mosque and combines Gothic vaulting with a baroque portico. The municipal palace, attributed to Jacobo Florentino with possible input from Jerónimo Quijano, is notable for its entrance facade and courtyard of basket-arch arcades on Tuscan columns.

About 5 km outside town, the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes holds the city's patron image. Its origins go back to the second half of the medieval period; a Renaissance portal, simple brick-pillared cloister, and late Gothic church mark different phases of construction. It was declared a Historic Ensemble in 1976.

Villena is reached by car via the A-31 (Madrid–Alicante) or A-7 (Valencia). Most of the centre has paid blue-zone parking, free on Sundays and public holidays; free parking is also available at the Tourism Office car park on Calle Pedrera, on Bulevar Compositor Carrascosa, and on adjacent streets. Buses from Madrid and Valencia are run by Alsa; trains connect Villena with Alicante, Murcia, Valencia and Barcelona via Renfe.

The nearest airport is Alicante-Elche, 60 km away — from there a bus or taxi to the train or bus station is needed to continue to Villena.