Place to see: Mini Hollywood, Tabernas, Spain

About this place:

Remember the great "Dollar Trilogy" of the often underappreciated spaghetti western genre? Sergio Leone shot "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (all of them starring a young and almost unknown American actor named Clint Eastwood) in the mid 60's in the desert of Tabernas in Almeria, Spain.

Mini Hollywood is a theme park that features some of the original sets used in all these movies, as well as occasional staged shootings and chasings performed by professional stunts. The owners have also recently built a zoo next to the park which features lions, tigers, parrots and a many other animal species.

In spite of its deliberately touristy nature, Mini Hollywood does have some kind of magic, specially if you're a movie buff like me. I really enjoyed walking around the sets, under the hot sun of noon, while listening to Ennio Morricone's classic soundracks through the park's PA system.