Art Deco dreams: How Spain gave glamour a home in the hardest of times
WHEN someone once asked Prime Minister Clement Attlee to define socialism, he replied that he couldn’t – but he knew it when he saw it.
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: Christopher Columbus sets sail, Diego Velazquez dies and the highest temperature ever in Europe is recorded
WELCOME to the latest edition of ‘This Week in Spanish History’, written by Michael Coy. 3 AUGUST, 1492 – COLUMBUS SETS SAIL FROM PALOS In
Why is some Spanish ham five times more expensive than the rest? The ultimate guide to jamon – and why it’s all in the acorns
IT’S no wonder many foreigners are bewildered by Spanish ham. A plate can cost five times as much in Pedro’s bar than Antonio’s restaurant in
The lure of Ceuta: The contested land young men die to reach and Spain sends its army to Africa to stop
IT had to happen. As Pedro Sanchez landed in Ceuta on Friday morning to inspect a border his own government has just sent the army
The history behind Ceuta and Melilla – how Spain came to own two cities on mainland Africa
HOW did Spain come to own Ceuta and Melilla, two cities on the mainland of Africa that count as full parts of the Spanish nation?
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: Shakira’s tax trial, the birth of a Formula One star and the sighting of the Spanish Armada
WELCOME to the latest edition of ‘This Week in Spanish History’, written by Michael Coy. 27 JULY, 2022 – SHAKIRA TRIAL BEGINS The Colombian megastar,
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: A deadly train crash, a royal marriage and the mystery of baby Lucia
WELCOME to the latest edition of ‘This Week in Spanish History’, written by Michael Coy. 24 JULY, 1895 – ROBERT GRAVES BORN Perhaps you recall
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: The defeat of Napoleon, a mysterious death and the burka ban that never was
WELCOME to the latest edition of ‘This Week in Spanish History’, written by Michael Coy. 19 JULY 1808 – THE BATTLE OF BAILEN With very
BORN TODAY: Margaret Theresa of Spain – the tragic tale of a vulnerable girl at the heart of Velazquez’s greatest work
IS there a birthday in your family this week? Michael Coy has been trawling through the archives, looking for interesting Spanish personalities whose birthday will
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: World Cup glory, an ETA kidnapping and the ‘invasion’ of Parsley Island
9 JULY – SAINT VERONICA’S DAYAs Jesus was making his way to Calvary, covered in blood, sweat and grime, a young woman pushed through the
The tragic tale of a Spanish Guardia Civil officer nicknamed ‘The Moth’ – and his lethal legal shortcomings
HISTORY doesn’t have to be confined to the Middle Ages. Recent events (and here we’re discussing a fatal accident involving a pop group and the
EXPLAINER: This is how Pamplona’s world-famous running of the bulls unfolds each year during the Sanfermines
EACH morning of the week between 7 and 14 July a rocket will be fired at eight o’clock precisely in the Navarre town of Pamplona.
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: Di Stefano’s birth, Hemingway’s death and the sweet taste of World Cup glory
WELCOME to the latest edition of ‘This Week in Spanish History’ , written by Michael Coy. 1 JULY, 1917 – ÁLVARO DOMECQ IS BORN Alvaro
The quiet corner of Andalucia where the last of Spain’s nomad shepherds still roam
IF you’ve ever lived or taken a holiday in the province of Granada, you’ll know the enchanting sound of the sheep’s bells. There are still
THIS WEEK IN SPANISH HISTORY: Antoni Gaudi is born, Cordoba is captured – and the curious reason why Spaniards call Brits ‘guiris’
Welcome to the second edition of our latest series, ‘This Week in Spanish History, written by Michael Coy 25 JUNE, 1852 – ANTONI GAUDI BORN
Last laugh? Spain’s newspaper cartoons face an uncertain future in the digital age
WE are all reading (sadly for us!) fewer and fewer newspapers as the months go by. Television was the first real blow to hit paper
This Week in Spain: Cartoonists, US invasions and 800,000-year-old skulls
Welcome to a new Olive Press series, ‘This Week in Spain’. Each week, Michael Coy will guide readers through the key moments in Spanish history
The embodiment of flamenco: Celebrating the 80th birthday of a Spanish national treasure
CRISTINA Hoyos Panadero was born in Sevilla on 13 June, 1946. She is 80 today, and she is one of Spain’s national treasures. More than
ON THIS DAY: The Spanish villagers who refused to go to war – and the moment Real Madrid won the first-ever Champions League final
BLINK and you’d miss it. La Nava has two bars and an auto-repair shop – and 270 inhabitants. The Spanish word for a place that’s
Spain’s infamous summer colds – and how to avoid catching them
Article first published on June 22, 2025. EVEN the word ‘cold’ gives the game away. We British people can’t shake the belief that the illness
ON THIS DAY: The moment Franco closed the border with Gibraltar – and the Brits annoyed Spain by pinching the Falklands
IN 1967 Gibraltar voted by 99.6% of the electorate to remain British. In other words, one vote in 250 went against Britishness. Franco wasn’t happy.
The awe-inspiring genius of Sagrada Familia architect Antoni Gaudi, 100 years on from his tragic death
THE month of June is inextricably linked with Barcelona’s Antoni Gaudi. This year will be extra special as a host of VIPs – including Pope
The oldest of Spain: A tour through centuries of history – including theatres, bullrings and delicious age-old recipes
HERE is part two of our series celebrating Spain’s oldest things. SPAIN’S OLDEST CHEMIST – ESTEVE Sixteenth-century blue ceramic jars (alborellos), nineteenth-century glass, boxes with
The oldest of Spain: A tour through centuries of history – including football clubs, bars and restaurants
FOLLOWING the interest shown in our recent piece about Spain’s oldest bookshop, we thought readers might like to learn about some other ‘oldest’ things. We
ON THIS DAY: How a deal struck by a Spanish pope shaped our world – and explains why Brazilians speak Portuguese
HAVE you ever wondered why they speak Spanish all over Central and South America, except in Brazil, where they speak Portuguese? It’s Christopher Columbus’s fault!
ON THIS DAY: A tragedy in the ring and an outrage on the streets – paving the way for decades of ETA violence
IGNACIO Sanchez first saw the light of day in Sevilla on 6 June 1891, and later married into a bullfighting dynasty. Apart from those two