campese
Almagro, Spain - Beautiful Dog
With a population of around 8,500, Almagro is a small, but quite charming town situated in the Castile La Mancha region of Spain about 30km south-east of the provincial capital, Ciudad Real, and 200km south of the capital, Madrid. Almagro's history is a long one - the discovery of archaeological findings in the 'Casas Maestrales' area suggest that there might have been a Bronze age settlement. It's story through the ages is an interesting one - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagro,_Ciudad_Real .
Today, the town's economy is reliant on growing cereal, vines, olives, and cotton as well as livestock and herding. Also, the tradition of fashioning appliqué lace and pillow lace ('encaje de bolillos') has survived. Tourism, too, is on the increase with a laudable commitment for promoting culture in Almagro. The beautiful 'Corral de Comedias' is an open-air theatre dating back to the 16th century, which was only really discovered and restored in the 1950s, and close by, there's the 'Museo del Teatro' (Theater Museum). Consequently, Almagro has now become a centre for dramatic arts in the region with the International Festival of Classical Theatre ('Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico') being hosted here since 1978.
The town is full of impressive buildings, churches, statues and monuments; and none more so than the wonderful 'Plaza Mayor' which was restored to its former glory in 1972, and nearby the imposing Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). Culinary and food wise, Almagro is famous for a variety of small aubergines, 'berenjenas de Almagro', seasoned and pickled according to a traditional recipe. These are usually eaten as a snack, along with other tapas, such as 'banderillas'. A great place to visit and, ideally, stay over as there's so much to see!
There are plenty more photos of Almagro and other Spanish towns/locations if you take a look at my 'Albums' page, www.flickr.com/photos/36623892@N00/sets/ - thank you.
Almagro, Spain - Beautiful Dog
With a population of around 8,500, Almagro is a small, but quite charming town situated in the Castile La Mancha region of Spain about 30km south-east of the provincial capital, Ciudad Real, and 200km south of the capital, Madrid. Almagro's history is a long one - the discovery of archaeological findings in the 'Casas Maestrales' area suggest that there might have been a Bronze age settlement. It's story through the ages is an interesting one - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagro,_Ciudad_Real .
Today, the town's economy is reliant on growing cereal, vines, olives, and cotton as well as livestock and herding. Also, the tradition of fashioning appliqué lace and pillow lace ('encaje de bolillos') has survived. Tourism, too, is on the increase with a laudable commitment for promoting culture in Almagro. The beautiful 'Corral de Comedias' is an open-air theatre dating back to the 16th century, which was only really discovered and restored in the 1950s, and close by, there's the 'Museo del Teatro' (Theater Museum). Consequently, Almagro has now become a centre for dramatic arts in the region with the International Festival of Classical Theatre ('Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico') being hosted here since 1978.
The town is full of impressive buildings, churches, statues and monuments; and none more so than the wonderful 'Plaza Mayor' which was restored to its former glory in 1972, and nearby the imposing Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). Culinary and food wise, Almagro is famous for a variety of small aubergines, 'berenjenas de Almagro', seasoned and pickled according to a traditional recipe. These are usually eaten as a snack, along with other tapas, such as 'banderillas'. A great place to visit and, ideally, stay over as there's so much to see!
There are plenty more photos of Almagro and other Spanish towns/locations if you take a look at my 'Albums' page, www.flickr.com/photos/36623892@N00/sets/ - thank you.