The forbidden visionary
Banned by Franco, Irish author Kate O’Brien was the world’s first political travel writer
Bugs life
The EU could learn a lot from the Iberian peninsula’s smallest residents
Did gold-greedy Romans kick-off climate change in Spain?
Columinst Jack Gaioni takes a look at Las Medulas as an example of what the Romans did for us
Cloak and dagger… an Andalucian legacy
Espionage, stealth and semantics: Back to the roots of the popular saying
Dredging up history: Galicia clean-up project could shed light on mysteries of Spanish Armada
The true aftermath of the Spanish Armada has been buried by the sands of time … until now, writes Jack Gaioni
Junipero Serra: Saint or sinner?
To Pope Francis he was a Spanish missionary worthy of sainthood, to others he was the devil incarnate
Shedding some light on Spanish secret societies
Secret societies work covertly to achieve a hidden agenda where secrecy is a sanctuary and a source of power, writes Jack Gaioni
The papal effect: What does a deceased, oversexed Spanish pope have to do with climate change?
Jack Gaioni examines Pope Alexander VI's life, role and global influence.
How scientists in Valencia are pinning hopes on protecting the oldest living species on earth
WITH three eyes, hundreds of legs, and elongated antennae, these critters are not going to win any beauty contests. Yet they are fascinating organisms....
James Bond inspired by the iconic expat and British spy Alan Hillgarth
The author confessed ‘the Bond character is a compound of all the secret agents I knew'
In Cordoban Skies… How a Moorish daredevil made aviation history
Columnist Jack Gaioni explores the history of flight in Spain
SPANISH AUTHOR CARLOS ZAFON: The pen is mightier than the camera…
CARLOS Ruiz Zafon needs no introduction. Arguably the most recognised contemporary writer in Spain, he has an equally successful international reputation.
Translated into over 50...
Viva Roma!
Jack Gaioni unearths the best and brightest ‘Spanish sons’ who made it big in ancient Rome, setting the literary and intellectual agenda for many centuries to follow
Santayana said it!
The sayings of the late, great Spanish philosopher, George Santayana, are an inspiration in these troubled times, writes Jack Gaioni
SEEDS OF HISTORY: SCIENTISTS USING OLIVE SEEDS TO PROVE BIBLE STORIES
OLIVES and Spain! Spain and olives! It’s no surprise to those of us who live here that the two are virtually synonymous. Chances are...
Give war a chance – a Spanish village at war with France
How a 100-year ‘war’ between an Andalucian village and France forged lifelong friendships
Fake news: How a lost suitcase changed photojournalism
Although the terms are contemporary, the role of journalism in ‘manufacturing opinion’ has been a human activity as far back as reliable evidence suggests, writes Jack Gaioni
She’s Dynamite! (literally): Civil War heroine who took the fight to Spain’s men
Dynamite! It’s a form of slang that refers to the essence of something rather than the explosive device.
For example, we might say: “Penelope Cruz...
The ‘Battle’ of Parsley Island is much more Comedy than tragedy, writes Jack Giaoni
WITH a good pair of binoculars on a clear day, from just about anywhere along the Costa del Sol, you can make out the...
Where did your dinner really come from?
Columnist Jack Gaioni explores the real link between countries and their national dishes
What the Dickens?
Columnist Jack Gaioni takes a rather unusual ride to an eccentric event centered around tweed in Madrid
Basque magic: How Spanish children ended up playing in English teams before ‘foreign players’ became a thing
WAS it a cultural thing? Nature vs.Nurture? Was there something in the water? Their DNA? What follows traces the plight of six Basque adolescents,...
The Liberator and the ecologist
Olive Press columnist Jack Gaioni on why the ghosts of Simon Bolivar and Alexander von Humboldt are alive and well
Given the bird: How falcons are used to protect Spain’s airports from the dangers of bird strikes
BIRD strikes, (airplane engines and/or landing gear colliding with birds), are a growing problem as they have become frequent, very expensive and sometimes fatal.
In...
World Water Day: What you should know about the rain in Spain
IT is painfully obvious that, in spite of some recent rainfall Spain is experiencing a prolonged drought.
Average rainfall this winter is 33% of normal...
The wrong kind of Catholics?
Spain’s Jesuits were just too successful for their own good
LATEST NEWS FROM THE OLIVE PRESS
EXCLUSIVE: Residents feared for their homes when multiple fronts of flames raced towards their homes in L’Atzubia last night
Many expat residents were forced to flee their homes in fear as the giant wall of flames approached.
One, Chloe Modrekelidze send the Olive Press...
