JULIO VILCHES

Julio Vilches (Valencia, 1953) was a lighthouse keeper on the island of Sálvora from 1980 until August 2017. A climber and lover of the outdoors, he abandoned his medical studies for the techno-mechanical study of maritime signs. Sálvora gave him two daughters and many friends during his 37 years of service. His free and creative spirit, in full communion with nature, was the motivating force for this fascinating lighthouse logbook about his life. Sálvora is now the property of the Xunta de Galicia and the Ministry for the Environment. Invaded by the Saracens in 1120, site of the first Galician saltworks in 1770; its first lighthouse was constructed in 1862 and it was owned by the Marquises of Revilia during the 19th and 20th centuries. This small island, so proud of its village which has been inhabited since 1972, said goodbye to one of its most notable residents in August 2017.