Marbella is both tabula rasa and 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 unique personalities might intersect. To paraphrase Churchill, it is a kaleidoscope, wrapped in a mosaic, inside a melting pot. The result of successive waves of visitors who have left their marks over the years, Marbella is a social archaeological site where generations have lived lives of sun-gilded leisure. Today the popular image of Marbella may be of a sort of European Miami, but one need only scratch this glitzy surface to be taken back to the time when Marbella was a simpler place. During the 1950s it was a quiet, dusty, traditional village, and today the old town is still a charming warren of streets, some so narrow that you can touch the rough white walls on either side. At Easter the solemn and dramatic religious processions snake through this maze of alleys and squares, as they have for generations. Yet what is really striking about Marbella is how much has remained the unchanged. Historical figures long connected with the coast, including, of course, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, may have passed into history, but their presence lives on in those who come after them. With a personal narrative text by historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes, a longtime Marbella visitor, this colourful volume illustrates varied aspects of this picturesque port, from the mountains to the beaches, from the delightful old town to the glamorous nightlife. PRODUCT INFORMATION Title: Marbella SolAuthor: Nicholas FoulkesPage Count: 304 pages100% Paper - HardcoverDimsensions: 33cm x 25cm x 4cmType: HardbackWeight: 2.72kg ABOUT ASSOULINE Assouline is a globally renowned luxury publishing house celebrated for its exquisitely crafted coffee table books that blend art, culture, fashion, design, and travel. Founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline, the brand has redefined the world of books, transforming them into collectible works of art. Each Assouline publication is a visual masterpiece, featuring striking imagery, premium materials, and compelling storytelling that transports readers into the worlds of haute couture, iconic destinations, and influential creatives. With a commitment to timeless elegance and intellectual sophistication, Assouline books are more than just reading material—they are statement pieces designed to inspire and enhance any space. The respect for the product and the process of creation is evident in every facet – the traditional technique of hand-binding covers, the imagery that transports the reader to another place and time, the luxurious thickness of each page. Known worldwide for bringing luxury to the publishing industry, Assouline produces one-of-a-kind books on fashion, art, architecture, photography, design, and travel, weaving a story of L’Art de Vivre with every publication.
