In the summer of 1958, the Marina Alta became the protagonist of NO-DO, in a production that presented an idyllic vacation in the province of Alicante. "Costa Blanca, a suggestive name that promised us, to the south of Valencia, the beauty of its landscape and the warm climate of a constant spring," is how the narrator began to introduce the report in which places like Dénia, Xàbia, Teula Moraira and Calp before mass tourism emerged.
Deserted and calm beaches, only nature was present in this documentary. In that decade, Spain barely reached 800.000 tourists a year, a relatively low figure compared to the 70s, when 13,2 million people were already visiting the country, according to figures from the National Geographic Institute.
In the images shown in the report, the protagonists passed through Dénia, a town where the Celtic and Roman remains and the landing of Cervantes after being rescued from Oran stood out. To finish the visit, the tourists walked next to the Castle.
Then Xàbia is shown, specifically the Cap de Sant Antoni and the views from the Cap de la Nau. "The landscape captivated us in such a way that we lost track of time," described the narrator, who camped with her friend in the place.
Passing through Teulada Moraira, a municipality whose “charming little port” was highlighted, they arrived at Calp. There they climbed the Peñón d'Ifach, where without a single tourist, the protagonists of the documentary could ascend to the top of the rock and see the coast of the Marina Alta, still virgin before the construction boom that would come over the years.
In addition, they visited the small port of the city where the local shipyards were building fishing boats. In this way, they ended their trip through the Marina Alta, where the landscape and tourism have completely changed over time.
Sure. Nor the place to them. They are 66 years apart. I hope they are well...And Denia doesn't get worse.
Good afternoon.
Very beautiful and evocative, currently the protagonists would not recognize many places.