Madrid in August
Are you flying from Italy to the capital? You won’t miss Italy at all. You will feel right at home, thanks to Madrileños’ way of life and thanks to the Spanish mood which you will breathe all around the city. There is a motto, here, which someone will tell you, while sharing tapas, for instance.
Es Madrid patria de todos, pues en su mundo pequeño son hijos de igual cariño naturales y extranjeros.
Calderón de la Barca, El maestro de danzar
In Madrid there are so many things to discover everyday: museums, temporary expositions, hidden corners, people, cultures. You can never get bored in here.
Barrios
La Latina is Madrid’s quintessential neighbourhood for beer on tap, tapas, mojitos and terraces. On Sundays, its most famous street, La Cava Baja, turns into Madrid’s place to be. This charming street is lined with tiny bars serving up cañas, wines and tapas. It’s tradition to go here on Sunday afternoons after the city’s flea market, El Rastro, and hop from bar to bar until late. I also like enjoying the Barrio de Malasaña. Its main street, Fuencarral, runs parallel to calle Hortaleza, making Malasaña and Chueca very friendly neighbourhors. Its main plaza, Plaza de Dos de Mayo, was home to the battle in 1802 when the madrileños rose against Napoleon on the same day. Now the plaza is full of cafés and restaurant terraces. Lovely.
Estamos en un barrio del centro de Madrid. Su nombre no importa, porque podría ser cualquiera entre unos pocos barrios antiguos, con zonas venerables, otras más bien vetustas. Este no tiene muchos monumentos pero es de los bonitos, porque está vivo.
I also like el barrio de Las Letras: it is named after the many writers who lived there, such as Cervantes, Quevedo and Lope de Vega. This barrio is slightly different from Huertas, as it is less of a party town. There are many arts and crafts fairs and cultural sites hidden away here.
Spanish popular fiestas in August
If you are travelling to Madrid, have a look at the city agenda, as
The fiestas in Lavapies and La Latina are known throughout the city: the party for San Cayetano in calle del Oso on 7th August or La Paloma on 15th August are two of the most popular fiestas together with San Lorenzo’s. During daytime there are processions dedicated to the Madonna and the saints, and at night open-air festivities that last several days with the participation of the public at large. And, believe me, you will enjoy them as you were a real Spanish. Have a look here!
A mixture of cultures
Madrileños respect different cultures and encourage cohabitation. An evidence of this could be seen in Lavapies, during the popular fiestas of Lavapies, which take place in August. And if you have a walk in this fantastic neighborhood you can read posters in Arabic and Chinese. Multicultural communities, devotion, joy, culture, customs and tradition is what you can breathe during a tour in Lavapies.
Museums are great
Also the city centre has a lot to offer. You’ll never get bored of walking down La Gran Vía, or tired of strolling through La Puerta del Sol or La Plaza Mayor, even passing La Cibeles or exploring Chueca. You can visit the Royal Palace or the Bernabéu, or relax in El Templo de Debod. Even after all of this you have incredible museums, like El Prado, El Reina Sofía or El Thyssen.
Siesta time
Siesta is fundamental in Spanish culture. And you will become addicted to it, for sure. Sunday strolls at Retiro Park are an institution. But also squares you will find around the city are great. I particularly love the children playgrounds which are in all of the squares, in Madrid. Look for Plaza de Santa Ana, Plaza de Chueca or Plaza del Dos de Mayo and you’ll find a corner to get relaxed.
Tapas, tapas, tapas.
The Spanish tapas culture is all about sharing. Thus, there are absolutely no boundaries when it comes to touching someone elses plate. In Italy we have the “aperitivo” time, and here you should have it drinking a tinto de verano or a vermouth. And you should have tapas, too. You won’t miss Italian pasta for dinner. You will replace it with tapas and some typical Spanish dishes. The food in Madrid is delicious, from scrambled eggs to the famous Cocido Madrileño with some churros and hot chocolate for dessert.
So, hurry up! Madrid is waiting for you!