Fans of Asterix may like to head to Alicante this week, as the comic character’s latest film instalment is set to premiere in the Costa Blanca city.

According to Typically Spanish, Asterix at the Olympic Games will be shown for the first time at Alicante’s Teatro Principal on Tuesday, having been shot in several locations around Alicante.

Made at a cost of €78 million (£58.5 million), the film is said to be the most expensive movie production in European history and was mainly shot at the Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante, while nearby locations such as Santa Pola and Benidorm were also used.

Gerard Depardieu reprises his role as Asterix’s faithful companion Obelix, while Clovis Cornillac takes the title role. Veteran French actor Alain Delon also stars as Julius Caesar.

The film is adapted from the popular series of comic books by French artists Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. According to Time magazine, the new movie also features cameo appearances from Zinedine Zidane and Micahel Schumacher.

A British family have relocated to the Costa Blanca and claim that it has enabled them to enjoy a more active family life.

John Chessher, a software businessman, decided to take a life changing decision to relocate and invest in a Spanish property on the coast after he found that he was working long hours and not spending enough time with his family.

The Chessher family now live on the Costa Blanca and have fallen in love with Spain’s inclusiveness, the friendly people and its rich traditions and customs, Homes Worldwide reports.

Mr Chessher, 40, is delighted to have swapped the executive lifestyle in England and Hong Kong for life in Spain, which gives him a chance to enjoy life outdoors because of the sunny climate.

“I used to go to work in the dark each morning and come home after my daughter had gone to sleep,” he explained. “Now I balance work with family trips to restaurants and scuba diving - it’s quite a change.”

An exhibition of ancient glass pieces has opened at the Archaeological Museum (MARQ) in Alicante, showcasing some fine examples of glasswork dating back hundreds of years.

Entitled La fragilidad en el tiempo: el vidrio en la Antigüedad (Fragility through the times: glass in ancient times), the exhibition of glass pieces from antiquity runs until March 4th 2008 in the Costa Blanca city.

The artefacts featured in the exhibition include pieces of jewellery, vessels, amulets, fragments and cooking utensils, have all been temporarily donated by the Catalonian Museum of Archaeology as part of a project on glass sponsored by the European Union, according to Communitat Valenciana.

Arranged to take visitors through different periods in the history of glass, use of the material and fabrication techniques, the exhibition features over 150 items made between the eighth century BC and the sixth century AD.

The city of Alicante is a Mediterranean port overlooked by the stunning Castle of Santa Barbara, with a population of more than 300,000 people and beautiful Costa Blanca beaches. The city is popular with both tourists and people buying homes in Spain and enjoys year round sunshine.

Property owners and holidaymakers on the Costa Blanca are in for a treat next week, when Spanish dancer Nacho Duato brings his new stage show to Alicante.

Described as “one of the best Spanish ballet dancers of all time” by Communitat Valenciana, Duato has been artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company since 1990 and is renowned for his choreography skills throughout the dance world.

He will perform his Duato x3 show, consisting of three different dances from various stages of his career, at the Teatro Principal de Alicante on February 6th.

“Duato’s choreographies are a reflection of our times, concentrating in themes related to our everyday realities while remaining committed to important social issues,” Communitat Valenciana states.

Born in Valencia, Duato perfected his art at some of the most famous dance schools in the world, including the Rambert School in London and Maurice Bejart’s Mudra School in Brussels.

The local authority in Torrevieja is offering more free Spanish lessons following a “stupendous response” to its original courses, it has emerged.

According to Costa Blanca newspaper Round Town News, the Torrevieja council’s basic language course has been a huge success since it launched two years ago, with demand for Spanish instruction in the area growing steadily as the population becomes more diverse.

Now the council has developed a new series of lessons, led by experienced language teacher Jane Cronin, which offers a slightly higher level for expatriates who have graduated from the original Survival Spanish course.

“The course combines visual elements, using pictures to stimulate the memory and audio components, allowing students to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation applied by native speakers,” the news provider reports.

Designed to help foreign nationals engage with the language and culture of the Costa Blanca, the course takes place at Torrevieja’s Palacio de la Musica and has attracted interest from a wide range of nationalities, including British, Irish, German, Moroccan and Indian.

Torrevieja is one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Alicante province, according to recent figures, with 53.6 per cent of the city’s residents of non-Spanish nationality.

This month’s Santa Pola half marathon has been hailed as a great success, with 6,000 people running through the Costa Blanca town.

Often used by international athletes as part of their training regime for major summer competitions, this year’s half marathon saw many runners with hopes for the Beijing Olympics competing, Round Town News reports.

The race is now in its 19th year and has become the second largest running competition in Spain, with many of the country’s major athletic clubs praising its good organisation and location.

Kenyan entrant Silas Kipngetich Sang was the first to finish the 13-mile course, taking just over an hour to complete the route. Maria Jose Pueyo Bergua won the female competition with a time of one hour and eleven seconds.

Visitors and property owners in Santa Pola looking for a more relaxed experience can take a short boat trip to the island of Tabarca, the smallest permanently inhabited islet in Spain.

The long-awaited opening of the new terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport is set to make travelling to Spain even easier for British passengers.

Although the UK already enjoys excellent links to the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, the £4.3 billion Terminal 5 will provide even more flights to southern Spain and significantly reduce queues and waiting times for holidaymakers.

Due to open on March 27th and built exclusively for the use of British Airways, the terminal will be capable of handling 30 million passengers each year and is five times as large as Terminal 4, the Telegraph reports.

However, it has other advantages in addition to its size, with a number of innovative features designed to make the experience of taking a flight as quick and comfortable as possible. Terminal 5 will offer an online check-in system, eliminating the need for queues at the desk, while luggage can also be conveniently deposited at one of the 96 ‘fast bag drops’.

The terminal also contains a number of designer stores bound to appeal to shopping fans, including such prestigious names as Harrods, Prada and Paul Smith.

BA’s franchise GB Airways currently operates flights to Malaga from Heathrow, while an Alicante route is available from nearby London Gatwick.

An industry group has revealed details of a special conference for female businesswomen on the Costa Blanca.

Organised to coincide with International Women’s Day, the Company Women Conference takes place at the Bahia Costa venue, near Torrevieja, on March 6th.

The event is entitled What marvellous women do away from home and will focus on the successful businesses set up by women in overseas locations, with a number of high-profile guest speakers booked to appear.

BT Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Kerrie Keeling will give a keynote speech, while American newsreader Terri Wiltshire will also make an appearance.

Conference organiser Caroline Garrett commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled that such high-profile, successful female entrepreneurs have agreed to speak at our first conference.

“We extend a very warm invitation to all women who are working in Spain or about to set up a business in Spain to come along and join us.”

Torrevieja is now the fifth largest city in the entire Valencian community, behind Valencia, Alicante, Castellon and Elche, recent population figures have revealed.

New passenger statistics have revealed that Alicante’s El Altet Airport saw significant growth during 2007 and is developing into one of Spain’s busiest destinations.

Official data shows that overall passenger levels increased by three per cent at El Altet last year, with the Costa Blanca hub now ranked as the sixth most important airport in the whole of Spain.

According to Costa Blanca News, the expansion of low-cost airlines such as Ryanair has given the airport a significant boost in the last few years, with the Irish carrier recently making Alicante one of its main flight bases.

In addition, the enduring popularity of Costa Blanca resorts among European holidaymakers continues to fuel demand for flights to Alicante, with the airport serving over one million passengers during the peak holiday month of August last year.

Airport officials have predicted that El Altet will continue to go from strength to strength this year, with plans for a new terminal and car park well underway, the website reports.

Work is also progressing on the new airport at Murcia, Round Town News reported last year. The Corvera hub will function in addition to the existing San Javier Airport and is expected to be operational by 2010, improving access to Costa Blanca locations such as Torrevieja and Santa Pola.

People interested in the Spanish cultural artefacts of a bygone age are advised to visit an exhibition currently taking place at Alicante.

Entitled Del Mediterraneo a los Andes, the exhibition explores the roots of Mediterranean and Andean culture and demonstrates how the two combined to create a new identity, Communitat Valenciana reports.

Recommended for fans of both Spanish and South American culture, the event includes a wide variety of exhibits including religious items, archaeological remains, ceramic pieces and other examples of the rich legacy of the Mediterranean-Andean cultural exchange.

Taking place until February 6th, the exhibition should have plenty to offer holidaymakers and property owners who would like their stay on the Costa Blanca to provide more than just sun and sand.

Another attraction currently drawing people to the Valencia region is Formula One, with Spanish former champion Fernando Alonso currently test-driving his new Renault car at Valencia’s Cheste circuit before the new season begins.