Its enigmatic and majestic presence attracts anyone who dares to contemplate the Mediterranean from the beaches of Benidorm. Like a magnet, it exerts a power of attraction that neither my camera nor I, we could nor wanted to escape.
Many legends explain the appearance of this islet in the middle of the sea although they all have the same origin: the island is the cleft that is missing in the mountain of Puig Campana, which is far from the city.
Among all these legends highlights out the French hero Roldán, commander of Charlemagne. The legend says that he fought with a Moorish chief. Both absorbed in the battle, they ended up facing each other at the top of this mountain. Roldan raised his sword Durandarte unleashing all his fury, giving the infidel the final blow. He managed to dodge it and it was with such a great force that Roldan hit that he cut a large piece of rock that fell into the sea.
Another version with the same protagonist relates that Roldan unloaded on the mountain his sword to lengthen the day and fall in love with a beautiful dying maiden. They assured Roldán that his beloved would die with the last ray of sun. Immersed in the deep pain he tried to prevent the rays of light from ceasing, making an immense cut in the mountain to allow the rays of light to pass through.
Because of all this, the sailors know the island like Roldán’s knife. It receives other names: the island of journalists, the island of the peacocks or the island of Benidorm. I will take the name given by the locals: L’Illa, to dry.
In many of the following images L’Illa exerts an almost insulting protagonism. However, in others, she is condescending, renouncing her main role and becoming a mere spectator of a city that observes and admires her. [Official Website]
