Gandía, once capital of a dukedom, lies in the richest and most populous huerta in the former kingdom of Valencia. It was the seat of the Borja (Borgia) family, which produced the notorious Pope Alexander VI, previously Bishop Rodrigo de Borja of Valencia. Alexander's great-grandson Francisco, who was
born in Gandía in 1510, became the third General of the Jesuits and was later canonized.
Gandía consists of the town proper and the little port of El Grao (Catalan El Grau), 4km/2.5mi away; its long sandy beaches have made it one of the great centers of mass tourism on the Valencian coast.