Costa Cálida is an extensive stretch of the Spanish coastline where the harsh mountain landscape prolongs its stark tranquility to the sea edge. It is the horizon of oleanders, prickly pears and wild dwarf palms, that recalls, on some or other watchtower, the danger of piracy and appears with the same solemn calm as in the times of the adventurous sailors prepared to return to their ships full to the brim. The cry of the seagulls and the buzzing of the cicada are sometimes the only sounds that break the luminous atmosphere. Yet there is even more cause for curiosity. The contrast between the old fishing towns and the vegetable garden cities, whose characters it owes to both the almost mythic fertility of the fields and great monuments, might easily make you believe that the distance between the two is actually greater. Although it can be difficult not to give in to laziness when lying on a beach, it is well worth the effort.