The Cultural Institute of Alicante Juan Gil-Albert continues its loop about collectibles and collectors with a focus on Jorge Juan and Santacilia, marking the 250th anniversary of the sailor’s death. The event highlights his life through the seafaring bibliographic collection held by the institute and linked to the Novelda Trade Museum.
The gathering takes place on Thursday at the recently restored Casa Natalicia, the historic farmhouse in Novelda.
The director of the Trade Museum in Novelda, David Beltrá, and the project director Veronica Quiles will discuss forty eighteenth and nineteenth century books that the cultural center has compiled over more than three decades. They will present a complete and original bibliography, including plans for a reprint of the naval engineer Antonio de Ulloa’s works in several languages. Editions in Spanish, French, English and Dutch of Ulloa’s journeys will be reviewed, drawing on his early biographies and writings on maritime subjects and mathematics.
As a collector and researcher, David Beltrá has authored or coauthored more than twenty histories. He has spent twenty-five years contributing to the cultural, historical, social and festive life of Novelda. He co-authored Actions and a novel in pictures and coordinated La Mola’s Notebooks. He has served as director of local magazines and has curated numerous exhibitions inside and outside the Valencian Community on modernism and commercial collections.
Veronica Quiles is also a historian. She studied archaeology at the University of Alicante and earned a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Miguel Hernández University in Elche. For years she has worked as a technician and administrator on archaeological campaigns in Spain, including MARQ, and coauthored several publications on cultural heritage. She has led major cultural projects.
Round table in Azorín
The Juan Gil-Albert Institute also participated in the 150th anniversary commemorations of Azorín’s birth in the 1990s by organizing a round table around the book Azorín and Monovar Casino. The authors of the publication, Jose Corbi and Paqui Limorti, will participate in this event along with Los Angeles Padilla and Mª Pilar Pastor, the president and manager of the Casino, respectively. The venue will feature discussions at the Casino meeting hall, which is recognized as a Locally Relevant Asset.
Also on Friday, Sant Vicent del Raspeig Holiday Home will host a new session of the Alicante loop with a focus on the Moors and Christians of L’Alacantí and Marina Baixa. The event will feature experts including Jonathan Grass, president of the Federation of Sant Bartomeu and Sant Sebastià de Xixona; Martha Mingot, president of the Santa Marta de La Vila Joiosa Association; Jose Ramon Easterhead of the Sant Vicent del Raspeig Union of the Comparsas Ver-Largas Federation; Juan Francisco Ortuno from the Mutxamel Moors and Christians Festival Commission; and together Jose Raphael Pascual, the mayor of Sant Vicent del Raspeig and head of the Moros Nuevos comparsa, who will lead the round table discussions.
At every turn these sessions illuminate the rich tapestry of local history and maritime heritage, linking archival treasures with ongoing cultural life. The events provide a clear window into how regional scholars, museums and municipal groups collaborate to preserve and reinterpret an area’s historical narratives for contemporary audiences. The focus remains on primary sources, historic biographies and the continued study of naval and mathematical thought as it shaped the broader Mediterranean world. This ongoing program stands as a living archive, inviting participants to travel through time and contribution to a shared cultural memory, one page at a time.