Piles, also known as Piles de Mar, is a Spanish municipality of the province of Valencia in the Valencian Community. It is located in the Safor region and in the predominantly Valencian language area.

The origin of the village seems to be in a small Muslim hamlet dependent on the castle of Rebollet, it was conquered at the same time as him, in the middle of the thirteenth century by Jacques I of Aragon. At the time a large part of the town was swampy.  Its history has always been linked to those of the county of Oliva and the duchy of Gandia, to which it belonged. With the expulsion of the Moors, it became practically uninhabited. Only a few old Christians remained and introduced new cultures, among them the mulberry tree, which would give rise to the birth of a flourishing silk industry. It was this industry that would allow the development of the village.

There is a sudden increase in the population during the summer, due to the many tourists (Spanish and foreign) who frequent the beach.  Strangely enough, Piles has a high proportion of francophones and French (in summer). This is due to the history of this village: During winter 54 (the one who killed homeless people in France and made known Abbé Pierre) A large part of the orange trees in the area died because of the cold and the precipitation, which destroyed the main source of income of the inhabitants. They were therefore very numerous to immigrate to France. After a lifetime of work, many returned to live their retirement in their village, often leaving their children (already adults) and grandchildren in France. Summer is therefore an opportunity for all those who have stayed outside Spain to come and see their families and enjoy the beach and the sun. Thus, in July and August, we can hear about the French on every street corner, and all merchants speak or at least understand French.

There is no dry cultivation. The fields are irrigated by the waters of the Serpis riu, through the Séquia comuna d'Oliva. The orange trees occupy almost all the area cultivated on the commune. The rest is dedicated to market gardening.  There are a few cattle and poultry farms in the livestock sector. Fishing now represents only a small part of the municipality’s income. The proximity of cities such as Gandia and Oliva, which offer work in industry and services, allows a part of the population to continue living in Piles, while working in the cities already mentioned.  Summer tourism, which has been booming for the past twenty years, is now an important source of income for the municipality.

(source: wikipedia)