Turismo Natural

VILLAGES: “VILLAVICIOSA”

Jan 12, 2010 Activities, Asturias, Capitals, Culture, History, Church, Nature, Leisure, Landscapes, Villages, Tourism, Asturias Tourism, Natural Tourism, Villaviciosa Tourism, Villaviciosa

Villaviciosa is the Apple capital and capital of the municipality in Asturias that shares its name and it is twinned with a town from the province of Madrid called Villaviciosa de Odón.

This Asturian village used to be known as Maliayo until 1277 when it was renamed Villaviciosa, which it is still called today. Many of you will wonder about the origin of such a name: Villa – viciosa (Village – ‘vice’). These lands were very fertile and produced abundant harvests; it was this fertility which gave the village (Villa) the fame of abundance – (viciosa). [Viciosa translated today means addicted to vice, but this was not the meaning originally here. ‘Viciosa’ meant that the village was fertile and produced abundant crops.tn].

Today, Villaviciosa holds great historic interest, both in the capital and in the municipality: Romanesque and Pre-Romanesque Art, Jurassic, etc. But here we shall mention just a few remains that can be found in the capital: ruins of a wall that surrounded the old Maliayo; the house where Charles I of Spain, (Charles V of Germany) rested he first landed in Spain (he landed in Villaviciosa); the church of Santa María de la Oliva which dates from the 13^th century and which was declared a National Monument in 1931.

Before we finish, we have to at least mention the wonderful natural and environmental interest this village has, particularly the Partial Natural Reserve of the Estuary of Villaviciosa.

Tags: Asturias, Ayuntamiento Villaviciosa, Dinosaur Coastline, Culture, Asturias Culture, Villaviciosa Culture, History, Asturian History, Villaviciosa History, Jurassic, Maliayo, Partial Natural Reserve, Tourism, Asturias Tourism, Cultured Tourism, History Tourism, Villaviciosa Tourism, Villaviciosa, Villaviciosa de Odón