The Javis have created a work of art with their film 'The Black Ball'. With it, buried loves have been resurrected, LGTBIQ+ history that had been erased, and even an abandoned town. The Spanish directors filmed part of this painful story in Castil de Carrias, an uninhabited village in Burgos that now shines again on the map. And all thanks to the success of film.
What to see in Castil de Carrias, Burgos
The Javis needed a bombed town in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. Instead of building a set, they decided to move to Castil de Carrias and take advantage of its depopulated and demolished appearance, transforming it into a town from 1936. It didn't cost them much, the empty houses, the ruined and looted church and the lonely landscape already made the most of it.
This little corner of Burgos forgotten since 1994, the year in which its last inhabitant died, is a victim of emptied Spain. Located at the top of a hill, it is surrounded by green meadows and eternal views of the horizon, where its old traditional houses are deteriorating little by little, empty witnesses of the passage of time.
Silent streets of the Middle Ages that ceased to be so this year, when the entire town bustled with activity during the filming of 'The Black Ball'. Cameras, producers, sound, spotlights, actors and other staff have made its famous church of Santa María forget the rural exodus, at least for a little while.
Where to eat delicious and cheap near Castil de Carrias, Burgos
The closest town to Castil de Carrias is Belorado, which has the Cuatro Cantones Restaurant. There you can eat homemade menus for 8 euros, ideal for making a technical stop and then taking the meal down with a walk through the village of Los Javis.
What to do near Castil de Carrias, Burgos
Castil de Carrias is part of a beautiful 22-kilometer hiking route that crosses two other abandoned towns: Loranquillo and Quintanilla de las Dueñas. It is simple, walking among orange meadows in autumn and crossing the old Crimidesa de Cerezo mine, the Tirón River and the convent of San Vitores de Fresno de Rio Tirón. The fresh air and the flatness of the landscape invite you to this plan.
In Espinof | It has just been chosen the best series of the 21st century. It is, simply, a masterpiece that you can watch on Netflix.
In Motorpasión | Samuel Antuña, Marc Márquez's surgeon: “He doesn't have a normal arm, nor will he ever have one again. He can't even play paddle tennis.”
