If you have ever wandered through Villajoyosa you will know it’s a seaside town that lives up to its name: La Vila Joiosa literally means “the joyful town.”
Once a hardworking fishing hub, today it is famous for something a little more photo-worthy: its row of brightly painted houses along the seafront.
It turns out, the colours aren’t just for show.
Legend has it the tradition started with the fishermen and their families. One tale says that after a stormy day at sea, a crew spotted a freshly painted fishing boat in dazzling colours. Inspired, the wives decided to give their homes a lick of paint in equally bold shades, so their husbands could find their way back from the horizon.
Another version of the story is a bit cheekier. Supposedly, the wives knitted jumpers to match the colour of their homes so their menfolk could stumble back to the right door after a drink or three. Considering the water wasn’t exactly safe to sip back then, and wine was as cheap as chips, the theory isn’t all that far-fetched.
Whatever the true reason, the end result is the same: a cheerful town of rainbow houses, giving today’s visitors one of the prettiest waterfronts on the Costa Blanca.
