A Prince, A Donkey-Driven Hero, and Spain's Pueblo Blancos 
| Little would you know that beyond this alleyway is a part of Italy that wants to break away and gain independence. Photo courtesy of Martina Latini. |
The European
Vol.1. Issue no. 39
September 4, 2007
Barcelona, SpainDear Europhile, As you read this, I'll be listening to our contact Stefania Russo talking about the best places to find your own piece of la dolce vita, or hearing what my colleague Maria Savage has to say about Varna, Bulgaria. I might also have to sample a little of that ham I keep hearing about or some seafood tapas-all in the interests of research as I'll be in Barcelona.
I'm sorry if you missed the boat and couldn't join us, but I'll try and keep you posted about the event-and this glittering city-in a future issue. In the meantime, read on to find out what brings many people to southern Spain, away from the Costa del Sol resorts, and learn about a wannabe breakaway state in Italy. Bests, Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European
Where florists become princes 
| These flags as you arrive in Seborga, Italy are something of a give-away to its wannabe status. Photo courtesy of Martina Latini. |
by Martina Latini Seborga would look like many other sleepy Ligurian inland villages if it weren't for the dozens of blue and white flags that welcome you as you approach its centuries-old walls. But Seborga is special. It all started in the 1960s when local florist, Giorgio Carbone, began pushing for the town to regain its historic independence. He claimed that when the former principality was sold to the Savoy kings back in the 18th century, no valid documents had been produced. By 1963 the inhabitants were convinced: Giorgio Carbone was elected Prince of Seborga, becoming Sua Tremendità (His Tremendousness) Giorgio I. Own stamps and currency
An informal referendum held in 1995 confirmed the Seborgan constitution and Giorgio I's status as Prince. The Seborghini also supported independence from Italy and hoped to establish Seborga as a Monaco-type microstate. A local currency, the luigino, was even issued from 1994 and 1996 and is accepted (alongside the euro) in the shops and restaurants within Seborga's walls. Pegged at $6, the luigino would be the highest valued currency in the world if it had any legal value outside the town. Stamps are also issued, but they are of philatelic interest only, since the sole post office in town is Italian.
A little history In 954 AD, the 1.5-square-mile hilltop territory where the self-proclaimed Principality and Italian municipality of Seborga now stands was ceded by the Counts of Ventimiglia to a group of Cistercian monks who founded a monastery there. In 1079, the Abbot was made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, earning temporal authority over Seborga. The Principality maintained its independence for almost 700 years until 1729, when it was taken over by the Savoy dynasty, which ruled over the Kingdom of Piedmont and Sardinia and was to rule Italy after unification of the country in 1861. |
No logos
The Principality status claims have been attracting curious visitors since the 1960s and the savvy Seborghini have ensured that their quaint stone houses and maze of narrow cobbled street and alleys were preserved from commercial overdevelopment. Seborga is thus unusually free of tacky neon pizzeria signs (you'll find no pizzerias here either), Coca-Cola logo parasols, and anonymous concrete hotels. Even the souvenir shop in Piazza San Martino (selling postcards of Prince Giorgio I) is hidden under the arches that belonged to the cloister of the ancient Cistercian monastery. The village is certainly worth a visit. You enter through an ancient alleyway-the walls engraved with the names of past sovereigns-leading to the diminutive Piazza San Martino. Inside San Martino church, painted in traditional Ligurian pink and yellow, you can read the village history. Each plaque on the wall tells the story of the old princes of Seborga, reinforcing the aristocratic status of the village. Following the steps to the village center, you'll reach another small piazza where a small, highly decorated food shop sells everything from local produce to fridge magnets in the shape of the Seborgan coat of arms. Keep walking along the main street to the end of the village where there's another small, stone church, its front yard bursting with lavender, and enjoy the view of surrounding hills of olive groves. Needless to say, Seborga remains an Italian municipality-all public services are provided by the Italian government, and the Seborghini regularly pay their taxes and elect their mayor. Getting there
Take the Bordighera exit on the A10 highway (Genova-Ventimiglia) and follow the signs to Seborga. It's a 20-minute drive from Bordighera in the western Ligurian Riviera, not far from the French border, along a narrow, twisty mountain road. Where to eat
Hostaria del Coniglio, Via Verdi 7; tel. +39 0184-22 38 20 (serving excellent rabbit with olives).
Ristorante Il Principe, Piazza Martiri Patrioti 6; tel. +39 0184 22 35 70.
Taverna Templare, Piazza Martiri Patriot; tel. +39 0184 22 39 18. Where to stay
You won't find a hotel in Seborga, but there's plenty of choice for accommodation in towns like Bordighera or Sanremo, on the coast.
Catching the Don Quixote express
by Rachel Webb 
| The house where the creator of Don Quixote was born in 1547, in Alcalá de Henares.
Photo courtesy of www.alcalaturismo.com. |
Not far from Madrid is Alcalá de Henares, birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, author of the classic Don Quixote. The Spanish are proud of Cervantes and every public library across the country celebrated the recent 400th anniversary of the 1605 publication of the first part of Don Quixote. (One of my sons even had to dress in period costume, hose, and frills, and recite part of the works for his school.) But the heart of Cervantes-mania is Alcalá. Alcalá is a quaint university town that sees thousands of visitors every year. The quiet plazas, normally used to the presence of students, become crammed with tourists and tour guides in themed costumes from September to December. The town boasts no windmills to tilt at, but rather queues that snake round the Cervantes Museum where the author was born. More lines form for a photo opportunity between the statues of gaunt Don Quixote and his sidekick, the short fat Sancho Panza. And the Plaza de Cervantes holds a statue of the author himself. Busloads of pensioners and schoolchildren come from the capital and beyond to tip their cap at Spain's much-loved writer, but the best way to visit is to take the theme train. The special Cervantes train takes just 35 minutes from Madrid's Atocha station to Alcalá, and costs 14 euro round-trip (9 euro per child). Passengers are served traditional pastries by staff in costume, and given a guided tour around Alcalá de Henares, with the odd stop to watch mid-street theatrical mime. A celebrated center of learning
Part of the magic of the visit is the introduction by train and the dramatic performances, but the town as a whole has a lively, young feel with a botanic garden and open spaces, making it friendly and laid-back after the bustle of Madrid. The Cervantes Award for Literature, the most prestigious award for Spanish language works, is presented by the King of Spain every year in the university main hall on April 23, the anniversary of Cervantes's death. Alcalá has been a celebrated center of learning since the university was founded in 1498, and was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1998. One of the listed buildings is now a hall of residence for students, but they are not the only lodgers in the town. Storks also stay here and have now become the town's symbol. Their preference seems to be the town's numerous churches where they construct a messy, precariously balanced nest the size of a small car, but they are made just as welcome as the students and visitors in their season. Catching the train
The Tren de Cervantes runs Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays from the third week of September to the first week of December, leaving Madrid Atocha around 11 a.m. and returning around 7 p.m., and from the end of March to June.
The appeal of Axarquia 
| Up in the hills you can escape the built-up developments on the Costa del Sol and still find pueblos blancos overlooking the Mediterranean. Photo courtesy of Jeff Jenssen. |
by Mike DeSimone When family and friends ask, "Why Spain? Why didn't you buy a house in Florida?" I just smile to myself. The three-bedroom, marble-floored villa with Mediterranean and mountain views that I bought with my partner cost a fraction of what a similar home would anywhere in the States. Hauling in the night's catch
The Costa del Sol is often pictured as an overdeveloped high-rise tourist trap. Drive away from the resorts by the airport, however, and you find small towns and villages where no building is more than three stories high, and where it's impossible to tell the difference between an 800-year-old Moorish mansion and a brand new townhouse. Local fisherman still haul in the night's catch long before sunrise, and pounds of delicious fresh seafood can be had for just a few dollars-either right there on the beach if you get up early enough, or in the ancient market in Malaga, dating back to Phoenician times. The region we live in is known as the Axarquia, a small group of pueblo blancos, or white villages, in the southernmost part of Andalucia. It's a short drive from Roman ruins, Moorish fortresses, and local wine-producing vineyards and a shorter stroll to the sea. If we are too lazy to carry down our own chairs, a sun bed can be rented for 3 euro a day, and the waiter brings a never-ending supply of calamaritos, fried whole baby squid, washed down with a cold bottle of Verdejo, a crisp citrus-ey local white wine. Our tapa and drink in the sun will cost just $15.
Not just good sport
After a day spent hiking in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada above the villages of Friligiana or Maro, biking along the hilly N340 coast road, or kayaking in the calm blue sea, there's no shortage of other activities. Nerja town's cultural center beckons, which may feature a traveling orchestra from Germany or a flamenco performance. And Torrox Pueblo, five minutes' drive away, often offers concerts, most recently by a visiting concert pianist from New York. After the show, a restaurant feast of rosemary-scented lamb chops and locally cured Serrano ham can be enjoyed. The magical cities of Granada, Sevilla, and Ronda are all a short drive away. The Ruta de Sol y Vino, the Route of Sun and Wine, passes right through our village, and sweet local wines-perfect as an aperitif or with cheese-cost 2 euro per liter. Sebastian at the wine shop in Frigiliana fills the bottle directly from the barrel, corks it, shrink-wraps the foil in front of you, and only affixes a label if you tell him it's a gift. It's certainly not Florida! IL |
