Marbella Sun

Marbella is both a tabula rasa and a palimpsest. It can be anything to anyone. You can meet a rock star in the morning and a member of European royalty in the afternoon. There can't be many places where two such distinct personalities can coincide. To paraphrase Churchill, it's a kaleidoscope, wrapped in a mosaic, within a melting pot. The result of successive waves of visitors who have left their mark over the years, Marbella is a social archaeological site where generations have lived sun-drenched lives of leisure. Today, the popular image of Marbella may be that of a kind of European Miami, but you only have to scratch that dazzling surface to be transported back to a time when Marbella was a simpler place.

During the 1950s, it was a sleepy, dusty, and traditional village, and today the old town remains a charming maze of streets, some so narrow you can touch the rough white walls on either side. During Holy Week, solemn and dramatic religious processions snake through this network of alleyways and plazas, as they have for generations. What's truly striking about Marbella, however, is how much has remained unchanged. Historical figures closely associated with this coast—like, of course, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe—may be in the past, but their presence lives on in those who have followed in their footsteps.

With a personal narrative by historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes, a frequent visitor to Marbella, this colorful volume illustrates the varied aspects of this picturesque coastal enclave, from the mountains to the beaches, from the charming old town to the glamorous nightlife.

Size: 25 x 33 cm.