Some were in Playa de Poniente at the top of the hour. Others stood in groups. Most resembled clubgoers at Tubes or Triana, then Penelope or Pacha. The truth is that they lived through it, first without awareness, then with the sense that something had shifted. Benidorm, a city on the Costa Blanca, began to be seen by the world as a center of modernity, moving forward with bold steps while the rest of Spain watched in quiet reflection.
From that moment, half a century has passed. The adolescents who learned to navigate this sun-soaked city looked back and ahead, piecing together their fates and setting them down in writing. Thus, the city where the sun sets for everyone grew from memory into a book that gathers the testimonies of about 30 young people, offering both reflection and an autobiographical narrative. It stands as a record of a generation and a portrait of a city in transition. (Citation: regional historical archives)
Around thirty articles and as many viewpoints mark crucial years for Benidorm, though they also mark the lives of its protagonists. Many residents of the city, along with visitors who arrived each summer, formed a close-knit circle, a temporary community that left a lasting imprint.
Francisco Javier Reverte Lledo explored the possibility of gathering memories from those years, inviting a group of friends to reflect and present their perspectives on their youthful ambitions and whether those dreams were realized as the city evolved over time. The aim was to capture how Benidorm changed while the people who lived there changed with it.
Benidorm in the 50s and 60s for a new purpose
group of friends
Among them are Ricardo Llorca, Lena Devesa, José Such, María José Balaguer, Eduardo Zaplana, along with Mabel Torres, Kika Ortiz and Mari Carmen Gómez Eusebi Guner, who also contributed the prologue.
Composer Ricardo Llorca was among the first to collaborate on this project, which leans more toward social history than literary craft. The effort aims to support a Love Center initiative. “These are true stories, each one recounting personal experiences, detailing what Benidorm was like in the 70s, the circumstances of our families, and the paths each person took in life today. Nothing is fiction,” says Llorca.
“It was a very vibrant period with many changes, a time of upheaval in politics but also full of hope.”
And there was modernity as well. “We saw Benidorm as far more progressive than the rest of the country; Pachá emerged as a symbol of modernity, drawing audiences like Grace Jones and a host of notable figures; Penelope was part of the scene as well.”
The book presents a collection of emotions, experiences, and images, offering a vision of the city that diverges from any stereotypical picture and reveals a side of Benidorm that few outsiders ever imagined. It situates the city in a broader social context, inviting readers to see Benidorm through the lens of those who lived through the era rather than through conventional tourist narratives. (Source: regional archives)