Almagro, tradition with a twist

At first glance, Almagro (Castile-La Mancha) exudes a decidedly traditional feel. This preciously maintained town is made up of impeccably whitewashed houses and cobblestone streets arrayed around a 16th century, porticoed Plaza Mayor. Its cultural heritage is also reflected in the annual Classical Theater Festival that attracts spectators from all over the world. At the same time, the town’s rich gastronomic heritage is often represented by the pickled berenjenas (eggplants) de Almagro that are everywhere and were first introduced by the Moors in the 10th century. Therefore, expecting to become immersed in this air of classicism, I took the train to Almagro last weekend for the festival’s final days and was pleasantly surprised to find that from the theater to the table, Almagro does tradition, with a twist.

The Almagro Classical Theater Festival takes place in July in some of the town’s most historic hermitages, patios, museums and other monuments. However, many people make it a priority to see a play in the Corral de Comedias, a 16th century, open-air theater on the Plaza Mayor that is oft considered the cradle of Spain’s theatrical golden age. I was fortunate enough to catch the Shakespearean classic, The Tempest, performed here by the fantastic Portuguese company, Chapitô. Under a starry sky, three young actors with nothing but a book and a black sheet made this classic come to life before a delighted crowd. The next night, an Argentinean company directed by Carlos Almeida performed La Vida es Sueño by Calderón de la Barca, enrapturing people with its ethereal, mask-like puppets. This was followed by the visually stunning and enthusiastic interpretation of Don Quijote de La Mancha by the Chinese National Theater Company, (in Chinese with Spanish subtitles). While this was all I could see in three days, the program was packed with plays by Spanish and foreign companies that promised to be equally incredible and unexpected. The person responsible for giving the festival this wonderfully remarkable twist is its current director, Natalia Menendez. In her second year at the festival’s helm, her efforts have focused on the inclusion of these and other unique performances in its program.

Before a 10:45 evening play, the best place for tapas is, of course, the Plaza Mayor. In Manchegan summer tradition, the businesses lining the plaza are subject to mercy of the path of the sun: breakfast on one side, followed by aperitivo on the other, before the entire thing (and the rest of the town) empties out from around 2-7pm while the sun beats down its hardest. In the evening however, both sides of the plaza are packed with people drinking icy cold beers in frosted glasses or local wines, while feasting on regional dishes like lomo de orza (spiced pork preserve), migas de pastor (savory bread crumbs), Manchego cheese or duelos y quebrantos (eggs with chorizo and other meats), to name a few. In addition to this traditional fare, other gastronomic experiences are easily found in Almagro. El Corregidor restaurant is well known throughout Spain for its menu based on wild game and other classic local products such as pickled partridge. At the same time, its cuisine is contemporary and innovative, providing classic dishes with creative solutions like the venison loin with pumpkin puree and grilled pineapple (lomo de ciervo con puré de calabaza y piña braseada) or the duck with eggplant confit (magret de pato con berenjenas confitadas). Another option is Restaurante Valdeolivo, which boasts an incredibly varied menu of local delicacies molded into enticing combinations and complemented by a huge selection of gluten-free options.

Whether it’s theater or gastronomy (or hopefully both), for a weekend of classical culture interwoven with contemporary surprises, Almagro is definitely the place.

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