Marbella Sol

Marbella is both tabula rasa and palimpsest. It can be anything for 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 unique personalities can intersect. To paraphrase Churchill, it is a kaleidoscope, enveloped in a mosaic, in a melting pot. The result of successive waves of visitors who have left their mark over the years is a socio-archaeological site where generations have lived a life of sun-drenched leisure. Today, the popular image of Marbella may be a kind of European Miami, but you only have to scratch this glitzy surface to go back to the days when Marbella was a simpler place.

In the 1950s it was a quiet, dusty, traditional village, and today the old town is still a charming warren of streets, some so narrow you can touch the rough white walls on either side. At Easter, solemn and dramatic religious processions meander through this maze of alleys and squares, as they have for generations. But what really stands out about Marbella is how much has remained unchanged. Historical figures long associated with the coast, including, of course, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, may have disappeared into history, but their presence lives on in those who come after them.

With a personal narrative by historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes, a longtime visitor to Marbella, this colorful book illustrates varied aspects of this picturesque port, from its mountains to its beaches, from its beautiful old town to its glamorous nightlife.