Way of Saint James - Camí del Peix
The recovery of a 2700-year old way
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Villajoyosa was the beginning, documented from at least the eighteenth century, of one of the historic routes that formed the network of the Camino de Santiago. More info and the Wikiloc tracks on our website www.vilamuseu.es/caminodesantiago
Some documents recovered by the director of the Municipal Historical Archive, Albert Alcaraz, show that at least in 1734, and certainly long before, came to Villajoyosa pilgrims who started here their way by land to "Santiago de Galicia": "a pilgrim from Naples, ill, has been bought a hen... », says one of these curious notes. The City Council gave support of all kinds to those who began their journey from Villajoyosa.
The Camino de Santiago from Villajoyosa, recovered from oblivion in 2015 and recognized as an official route in this European Cultural Itinerary, has its point 0 at the ancient Hospital — today Casa de la Juventud —, where those pilgrims recovered from any physical problem before starting their route.
The City Council has established two points, the Casa de la Juventud itself and Vilamuseu, to seal the credential that pilgrims should continue to seal at each stage of the journey. This credential can be purchased in Vilamuseu itself and through the Club Sendes i Muntanyes at the Guardiola hairdressing salon (C / Barranquet, 9, floor ground A), in order to make it available to interested persons in a very extensive calendar and timetable.
The Departments of Sports, Technical Services, Urban Cleaning and Historical Heritage of the City of Villajoyosa, together with the Group of Pilgrims of La Vila and Benidorm, have marked the road in Villajoyosa, and the Club Sendes i Muntanyes (SIM la Vila) collaborates in the recovery and dissemination of this itinerary.
Mármoles Zaragozá has donated the monolith with its plaque, disinterestedly installed by Excavaciones Jiménez in the Plaza de la Generalitat, the urban heart of Villajoyosa, former Plaza del Olmo, across which every pilgrim had to take his first steps before facing their first hard test: the mountains that close the Marina Baixa, crossing them along the bimillennial, tortuous and at the same time spectacular Camí del Peix.
The exact distance from Villajoyosa to the tomb of the Apostle is indicated on the plaque: 1128 Km (701 miles).
In all these efforts has been especially important the mediation and enthusiasm of the local pilgrim Pepe Tonda.
On the Camino de Santiago Vilero website (http://www.vilamuseu.es/caminodesantiago), managed by the City Council with the collaboration of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago of Villajoyosa and Benidorm, more details, news and links to the geolocalized itinerary will be uploaded in Valencian as well as in Spanish and English
In the Villajoyosa term, the Camino de Santiago is the same path as the ancient Camí del Peix, a route from which remains dated 2700 years ago, in Phoenician times, have been excavated in Villajoyosa. An accessible interpretive panel at the roundabout next to the Chocolates Valor factory, also informs about this site. The current Camino de Santiago is separated from its original route along the Camí del Peix from Torremanzanas, where it changes to paths that are already recovered.
The road unites cities, and all of them collaborate in its success as a cultural route. In this case, the City Council of Relleu has also developed an important action as the end of the first stage with departure from La Vila and Benidorm, offering since July 21, 2018 a new accommodation with many more facilities than the previous one.
