Villena is like a lot of Spanish towns ...the newer part has grown up around the old town. Unless your reason for living only includes shopping, then the older part of town is always going to be more interesting. I'm used to Spanish towns being built on hills (made them easier to defend) ...but the church is usually nearest the top of the hill and at the centre of community life.

In the case of Villena, the middle of town is dominated by a twelfth-century Moorish castle that has probably made the fortune of at least one local postcard manufacturer. Some of the old town's streets are so narrow that no wheeled traffic (save a bicycle) could be used to get around. You'd have to be an athletic cyclist as the town has some steep hills that eventually give way to steps (as you get near the castle  -  see below).

Climbing up to the castle brings its own rewards, like an asthma attack and a deep desire to drink an immoderate quantity of cold beer. A word of warning ...each set of steps up to the castle looks very much like another and you should take care to re-trace your steps. I managed to get a bit lost and this is really hard for me to do. The view out over the sun-baked rooftops is worth the climb ...but you can get something of the flavour of it from my photo (above).

Someday all web sites will be like this  -  informative, witty and not plastered with a load of advertisements!