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Great films have the ability to transport us to unusual, incredible settings that may seem like another planet or the result of great special effects. One of these incredible "film sets", with spaces that seem non-existent, is the Tabernas Desert (Almería).
Tabernas is a desert area of about 280 square kilometres protected as a natural park. It is the only desert in Europe, which makes it a unique place on the continent due to its climate, flora, and fauna. Beyond this, since the 1960s, it has been one of the places in the world where the most films and series have been shot. This has led the European Film Academy to recognise it as a "Treasure of European film culture".
Origins: Spaghetti Westerns and Hollywood
The Tabernas Desert is undoubtedly one of the places in the world where a scene from the "Wild West" can best be set. The landscapes of Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas have little to envy of the Almerian desert. That is why in the 1960s and 70s the desert became a "temple" for the genre known as spaghetti western, which was based on Hollywood westerns but developed by Italian directors or producers. Sergio Leone, one of the fathers of this genre, filmed in Tabernas together with a young Clint Eastwood great film classics such as A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Other westerns such as Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), starring Henry Fonda, or Red Sun (1971) also stand out.
From all these shootings, various sets and other elements have remained, which have been used to create real theme parks. There are three main places that can be visited today: Western Leone, Fort Bravo/Texas Hollywood, and Oasys. Likewise, the Almería Western Film Festival is held in Tabernas, an event that annually attracts hundreds of fans of the genre.
Since these times, the Tabernas Desert has become known as "the European Hollywood." The truth is that several major American productions have begun to be filmed in the area. Beyond the western, Hollywood saw great potential in the Almerian landscape. Thus, in 1982 Conan the Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was filmed. Other feature films from the era also shot in this area include Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Cleopatra (1963), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
New times: Great series and blockbusters
In recent times, great blockbusters such as Assassin's Creed (2016), The Sisters Brothers (2018), or Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) have continued to be filmed. All of them have demonstrated that the Tabernas Desert has unique characteristics that go beyond being a good place for western film shoots.
Beyond great films, the desert has hosted the filming of great national and international series. A well-known example is Vis a vis: El oasis (2020), a sequel to the famous series produced by FOX. Also noteworthy is the filming of episodes or parts of seasons of internationally renowned series in this Almerian landscape. Some examples are Black Mirror (2017), Penny Dreadful (2016), or the globally acclaimed Game of Thrones (2011).
Essentially, the Tabernas Desert is an ideal place for cinema and series lovers. Beyond the western, its corners can transport us to worlds we usually only imagine through the big screen or our television. Nature, cinema, and entertainment combine in one of the most peculiar and popular places in Spain. For all those who wish to go on a getaway and do not know what to do in Tabernas, we recommend various activities ranging from routes to horseback riding.
