The Virgin appeared inside a volcano in La Garrotxa. So they built one of the most special hermitages in the world

I confess that one of the buildings that fascinates me the most is that of the hermitage. There are some as spectacular as the one in Virgin of the Castle in Chillónbut others are four almost dilapidated walls in remote places (or locked in a Madrid roundabout). They are scattered throughout our geography, sometimes extremely hidden, to the point that there is one that crowns a spectacular landscape. It is the hermitage of Santa Margarida de Sacot, in the Garrotxa. And it is in the center of the crater of a volcano. Santa Margarida volcano. Of all the volcanic areas of the Iberian Peninsula, Garrotxa is one of the most spectacular. As in other volcanic areas, we can perfectly see the cones of the volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago. But, unlike places like Campo de Calatrava, the Garrotxa It is dyed green thanks to its vegetation. It is estimated that the volcanic activity in the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park It expanded from 700,000 years ago to 8,300 years ago, with the Santa Margarida volcano being one of the youngest of the 40 cones that make up the area. From a drone view, the volcano is imposing, but it is striking that the interior of the crater is a treeless meadow and has a building right in the center. A hermitage would be good. Places of worship are not usually planted in a random place and, as tradition says, the hermitage that shares its name with the volcano was built when someone discovered something miraculous: an image of the virgin carved in alabaster inside the crater. It was clear: a building had to be built to honor such a miracle. Although the first documented reference to the hermitage is from 1403, when money was allocated to maintain the chapel, it is estimated that this Romanesque building would have been built at some point. moment from the 13th century. The picture is impressive The church is ruined. The miracle of the virgin could not be repeated to save the hermitage from the effects of earthquakes that shook the area in 1428. Known as “Terratrèmol de la Candelera”, a series of tremors with an estimated magnitude of between 6.5 and 7.3 knocked down several buildings, the hermitage of Santa Margarida one of those who ended up badly off. Something was saved: the image of the virgin carved in alabaster, which is currently kept in the Diocesan Museum of Girona. In 1865 decided that something had to be done with the place and they rebuilt the hermitage. They did so by building a single-nave structure that preserves something of the original: the semicircular apse and the porch, and inside it, a replica of the alabaster carving. deep symbolism. Since then, and as it has been doing for 400 years, the hermitage of Santa Margarida governs the center of the homonymous volcano and is part of the Natural Park. If you feel up to it, you can visit it, but you will have to do some hiking. The car is left on the edge of the volcano and it is necessary to continue on foot along a well-marked path until reaching 766 meters of altitude. That is the perimeter of the crater, 2,000 metersand to reach the hermitage, we have to descend a little to 682 meters, where we finally have the place of worship surrounded by a green meadow. For many, it is surely simply another fascinating place in our geography, but for many others it is possible that stopping in that place awakens the feelings that led those who built the hermitage in the Middle Ages: a deep connection with the divine. What is evident is that, whether we have that connection or not, the landscape is impressive and seeing a construction in the center of a volcanic crater is a powerful image. And if there is not much tourism, a moment of retreat and disconnection from everyday life. Images | Jordiferrer, Carquinyol from Badalona In Xataka | The largest underground labyrinth in Spain is in a town in Guadalajara: the fascinating network of “Arab caves”

The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization

“With more than 130 hectares next to the Pinares de Cartaya, it aims to become one of the main urban developments in Andalusia, creating a residential and leisure center in one of the most unique enclaves of the Andalusian Atlantic.” The phrase is part of the presentation of ‘Saggita El Rompido Living Club’, a real estate mega project that a Basque developer is promoting on the coast of Andalusia, on the second line of the Huelva coast and where there is now extensive trees. The initiative has already aroused the suspicion of politicians and environmentalists who warn that it will pervert one of the few remaining virgin areas on the coast of Huelva. What has happened? That Huelva is preparing for a radical transformation of the environment The Brokenin the municipality of Cartaya. There the Loiola company plans to promote a macro urban project with hundreds of homesvillas, a golf course, hotel accommodation, swimming pools and a commercial area. An extensive development that will extend throughout 130 ha in an environment that, like presume the promoter itself, represents “a privileged enclave between marshes, ocean and pine forests.” What do you want to do? They have named the project Saggite“arrow”, in Latin, a nod to one of the most characteristic places in the area: the Broken Arrowa wide sandy formation that stretches for about ten kilometers parallel to the coast. The promoter has several ideas in mind: a golf course, several hotelsa commercial area and above all generate residential offer. Specifically, on his website he talks about two projects: Sagitta Silvawith 128 homes (106 multi-family apartments and another 22 single-family homes) and Sagitta Navisa complex of 18 semi-detached houses with four bedrooms spread over two floors. Is there more? Yes. The Rompido Living Club does not stop there. When promoting the project, those responsible they talk of a huge residential and leisure center of 130 hectares with 800 exclusive homes (in some media they talk about 1,000), to which places for tourists and swimming pools will be added, “one of the main developments urban developments of Andalusia”. To complete it, the company claims that Sagitta Living Club will cover some 522,600 square meters of green areas. Is it just a project? No. In August 2024 Environment awarded the Unified Environmental Authorization for “Nuevo Rompido Este” in order to develop the land and pave the way so that it can accommodate homes, hotels, the golf course and the shopping center. Months later, in November, Ecologists in Action warned that work had already begun on the ground, with “the dismantling of the rich and varied vegetation of the Mediterranean forest” in the area and excavators and trucks removing bushes. The latest news about the project reached early summerwhen Loiola began marketing the first 150 homes in your residential complex. In the promotional information published on those dates it was stated that the works would start before the end of this year to have them lists in 2027. Perfect, right? Not everyone thinks so. The macroproject has the planning permission of Cartaya and the Junta de Andalucía has also given the green light to the urbanization of 1.3 million of square meters. THE complex even snuck into the presentation carried out last year by the City Council at FITUR. That does not mean that Sagitta has unanimous support. There are those who have warned of its impact on the environment, both environmentally and socially. For example, Izquierda Unida crosses out the “monstrosity” and warns of its effects. Why’s that? “It will double the population of El Rompido at once, destroying a forest of pine, juniper and other protected vegetation and exposing this nucleus, which already suffers serious problems such as periodic water cuts of up to 24 hours, to unsustainable urban tension.” I insisted a few months ago David F. Calderón, spokesperson for Izquierda Unida in the Cartaya City Council. In his opinion, the megaproject suffers from “serious legal loopholes” and “puts at risk the ecological balance and carrying capacity of the territory in a high-value area.” “El Rompido, one of the coastal towns in Andalusia where housing has become more expensive in the last decade, does not need more luxury homes, nor more hotels, nor more golf courses, but rather social housing that allows youth to continue living in their town,” Calderón stressed. The project focuses on the northwest of El Rompido, in a space located 800 meters from the beach. Is it the only critical voice? The answer is again no. One of the most critical voices of the project has been that of Ecologistas en Acción. And not only because in November warned of the arrival of machinery to the area, initiating “the destruction of (a) space with important natural values.” Since then has insisted in that the 130 hectares of the complex represent land “of extremely high biodiversity and environmental wealth” and that the project itself is “the greatest example of unsustainable, illegal and predatory urban planning on the Andalusian coastline.” Hence, the environmental association has filed a contentious-administrative appeal and requested a precautionary suspension. His main argument: the alleged risk of causing “very serious and irreversible” damage to the territory. “The works involve destroying a substantial part of the environmental values ​​of this privileged enclave, with serious consequences for protected fauna and taxa.” What does the promoter say? In your advertisingthe company highlights that the promotion will seek “environmental, social and economic sustainability”, which includes, among other issues, measures to minimize the carbon and water impact or the preservation of biodiversity. It also highlights that the Sagitta Living Club complex will include more than 522,000 m2 of green areas, a large area that will play a key role in the complex. The environmental authorization actually recognizes that there are protected plants in the environment, but their future is clear because they will be located in the free spaces left by the megaurbanization. Images | Loiola and Ecologists in Action In Xataka | There is a virgin beach in … Read more

The price of extra virgin olive oil is rising again. The question is how far that climb will reach

They run times convulsive moved in the oil market of Spanish olive. For both consumers who go to the supermarket in search of bottles and for farmers who sell their crops. After the increases and Down Price lived by one and the other in recent years, the oil mills have just encountered a surprise: the price of the extra virgin in origin has just exceeded the psychological barrier of the four euros per kiloan important ‘red line’ for the producers that had been touching for several months. The big question is how far that climb will reach. What happened? That the price at the origin of extra virgin olive oil has exceeded the psychological barrier of four euros per kilo. We know it thanks to the data of the last week (August 18-24) Disclosed By Asaja-Jaén, which has had access to updated information of the Poolred system. To be more precise, the Aove marks € 4,001/kg, the Virgin 3.53 and in Lampanant 3.29. Their values ​​are in tune with those of the Price and Markets Observatory of the Junta de Andalucía, which also places the extra virgin at source above four euros. With regard to consumption prices, for now, CPI boards show that the cost of olive oil in general has fallen 3.1% in June And it remains sensibly below of the values ​​a year ago. Why is it important? For several reasons. The main is that the Aove had been located below that value for months, as reflected The Andalusian Observatory or the platform Infaolivewhich shows that the extra virgin remained below four euros since practically beginning of 2025. Since then its graph shows that it has been oscillating around € 3.5/kg. Other sources They assure that the Aove does not reach four euros since December 2024. Are there more reasons? Yes. The second reason why this milestone is so important is that it has a symbolic background for oil producers. In the sector there are who considers that the four euros per kilo mark the ‘barrier’ that maintains the profitability of the farms. Others They hold that the minimum that covers production expenses is higher and set at € 5/kg. In any case, the truth is that the sector had been under that ‘red line’ for months. In May, for example, the Coordinator of Agricultural and Livestock Organizations (COAG) warned That while consumers paid about six euros per liter, the producers received less than 3.5 for the extra virgin, far from the between 5.55 and € 6.14/kg that, according to their calculations, had to mark the price of Aove the 2024/25 campaign. “It is a situation that cannot be maintained over time.” Why does the price upload? For several reasons. The main is the drift of the harvest. Although initially the farmers had a great campaign, driven by spring rains, which even led the government to endow a ‘nuclear button’ that the case would allow you to remove oil from the market to guarantee your “stability”, everything indicates that the campaign will be less prolific of the expected. So much so that a month ago the farmers launched A message to reduce optimism and emphasize the expectations of the sector. What can we expect then? “The current situation in the main autonomous producing community, Andalusia, leads us to think that the euphoria that reigned among the great market operators about a historical harvest is collapsing,” They warned in July from the union of small farmers and ranchers (UPA). Its production estimates for Andalusia then pointed to between 950,000 and 1.15 million tons, a figure holds the meteorology drift of the coming months. “That is, at best we would be in a situation similar to the 2024/2025 campaign”, They needed. Behind that lower production there is a cluster of factorsincluding high temperatures during flowering, the influence of pests, the impact of the latest heat waves on the size of the fruit or the plantation’s own veracular. UPA’s global estimate is that the production fork of the next campaign will move between 1.2 and 1.4 million of tons, a figure that responds to the cutting of forecasts in Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. And how does the market leave? That is the other key that explains the drift of prices. Poolred data or the Andalusian Observatory show an increase in prices at source throughout recent weeks, but still sales have advanced at a good pace: a few weeks ago Asaja Córdoba celebrated that olive oil outlets reached last month the 147,000 t“the highest figures of the last ten years in a month of July at the national level.” The link, which reflects the stocks of merchandise that will remain between campaigns, is also promised short, with 270,000 tonsas required The economist. Another of the keys to the campaign is the behavior of the US market. The newspaper slides that between January and May the sales of Spanish olive oil in the US grew by 31.25%, although that rebound was not even to the value of sales. The big question is how tariffs will affect. July exports data (still free of fees) already show A fallalthough in the sector there are Optimistic voices They remember that there are faithful customers who already paid for Spanish oil when their price at source was much higher than the current one. Images | Wikipedia and Iloveaceite (Flickr) 1 and 2 In Xataka | More and more giants get into the Andalusian field and in the olive oil industry. The last: Pepsico

In Madrid there were no economic hotels left, but there was a “virgin” space for tourists: polygons

Like most of the large cities on the planet, prices for stay in Madrideither for a long time like a short stay, they have shot themselves. If we focus on tourist accommodations, already We tell it Recently: it’s not a sensation, hotels are more expensive than ever In Spain, and in cities such as the capital They are prohibitive. In fact, tourists are beginning to look for other destinations Like Morocco. The solution for hoteliers is in the surroundings: the polygons. The new face. Three years ago it was already coming. Then, he counted in a Report the ABC That on the outskirts of the M-30, where many still believe that Madrid is blurred in gray ships and empty streets at the afternoon, the polygon Julián Camarillo It offered a radically different image. This almost 200 hectares enclave, located between the linear city and Suanzes stations, had begun to transform into a vibrant, accelerated and multifaceted area, a reflection of a city in constant mutation. Its streets combine industrial vestiges from the 50s to 80s with new constructions, hotels, artisan breweries, gastronomic spaces, technological centers and an incipient cultural vocation. As happened before in Barrios Like Shoreditch in London or the District 22@ from Barcelonathe polygon seemed to position itself as an urban laboratory where the post -industrial laboratory gives way to the allegedly modern. Tourist destination Three years later, The country counted That in Julián Camarillo, which once was territory marked by half -empty offices, aged industrial buildings and unused solar, a phenomenon as unexpected as unstoppable is brewing: its transformation into an incipient hotel district. Yes, what at first glance seemed a little hospitable environment has become A tourist reef Thanks to its proximity to the center of Madrid and at the low cost of accommodation. Here is a proper name: the Catalan businessman Óscar Sánchez, founder of the Bestprice chainhas been one of the pioneers to bet on the enclave, describing it as an “oil well” for the potential it offers to those who risk. Its hotels, located only eight subway stops from Puerta del Sol, attract young visitors who prioritize the price aesthetics. The figures endorse it: since 2020 they have Opened eight hotels in the area and there are at least seven others in project. From illegal loft to functional hotels. Apparently, the previous attempts For redefining the area they did not prosper with equal success. At the beginning of the century, the New York Soho model with the loft fashion was attempted, and then promoted the term Madbit to attract to Technology companies. Both initiatives collided with the lack of regulation and a weak corporate demand. Instead, hotels have grown without institutional campaigns or brand names for the neighborhood. The specialized real estate agency in the area confirmed the country that many office promoters are transforming their projects into tourist establishments due to the evidence that the demand for accommodation exceeds that of work space. This boom coincides with something we have gone counting: he normative hardening Towards Airbnb and Tourist Housing The historical record of visitors in Madrid, where 10.4 million tourists were reached in 2024. The Carabanchel node Urban Fever. In the background, international consultants have confirmed the effervescence of the sector. Colliers has identified more than 60,000 square meters available for new hotel projects in Julián Camarillo, although warns that urban limits slow down the rhythm, so many of the New establishments They are small and functional, with less than one hundred rooms. Most are classified as a star hotels, and together they add more than 1,500 active rooms. Meanwhile, chains Like Ibis or Spark by Hilton They add to the model initiated by Bestprice, consolidating the area as the one that wakes up most between investors. Other consultants, Like Engel & VölkersThey observe a similar trend in industrial polygons from other cities such as Valencia, Bilbao or Barcelona, ​​where land prices and the lack of alternatives in the center push the hotel sector to colonize spaces traditionally relegated to the manufacturing activity. Asequible accommodation. The triumph of this model is Understand alone. The logic behind this transformation is because there are every time Less active factoriesoffices do not absorb enough demand and tourism needs affordable spacewell communicated and functional. With rates of between 60 and 70 euros per night, 20 minutes from the center of Madrid, hotels in polygons such as Julián Camarillo fill that hole. Carabanchel adds. Something similar is also happening to the south of the capital, although here with the aim of giving a housing alternative to creative young people at a step in the city. It The world told. In the heart of Carabanchel, a neighborhood more and more associated with urban artHE Inaugurated Node Carabanchela half stay hotel that redefines the concept of flexible accommodation with a thousand rooms designed for creative young people, students, digital nomads “and people in vital transition.” With one investment of 100 million In euros, the gigantic complex includes fully equipped studies and apartments, and offers a community experience focused on art, music and coworking, with spaces such as rehearsal rooms, podcast, theater, gym, swimming pool, sporting tracks and a scourge on the roof for concerts and cultural events. Replicating other models. Node aspires not only to accommodate, but to actively integrate into the local fabric through collaborations With schools, galleries and neighborhood artists, promoting a living and shared community. Driven by the Node Living company With the support of Bain Capital, this is its third project in Madrid and is part of an international expansion that replicates a model born in Brooklyn and already present in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London and Barcelona. Mutant neighborhoods. Be that as it may, all these proposals have a common denominator: Madrid is made big And it reinvents itself because its nerve center has become A theme park of Closed Coto. Of course, the spontaneity with which they have Grown polygons like Julián Camarillo To tourist district modes, they … Read more

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the purest products in the world. And it is also full of microplastics

As if it were the fashion concertFrance’s olive oil consumers have been waiting for their time for too long: that exact point in which the Bodegas Galas are left without the accumulated reserves of 2024 and prices begin to go down driven by the arrival of the Spanish product. The good news is that this moment has arrived. The bad is that oil bottles come with surprises. Surprises? These days, preparing the “great moment”, the great French magazine of consumption ’60 million of consommateurs’, decided to analyze the main brands They were in the French market. They selected 22 bottles of extra virgin olive oil (that is, extracted only with mechanical pressure or centrifugation). Despite the numerous frauds that have been found, the results of the analyzes seem to square with the requirements of composition of this type of products (99% of lipids of a certain profile, predominance of monoinsaturated oleic acids, etc …). The surprise has been the fact of finding high levels of microplastics. Also in oil? Indeed: “Bios or conventional all (…) contain some type of phthalates”, chemical substances that make the most flexible and lasting plastic. Although they are allowed products, there are an increasing body of evidence which suggests that they have an important role as endocrine disruptors. A few days ago We commented on his role in the regulation of blood pressure. And what do we do? The problem of microplastics is huge, really. Only now we begin to be aware of its dimension and depth. However, cases such as this show that we are not being diligent in the control of these: the presence of phthalates is directly due to the containers we use. A global problem. Because yes, these are French data, but it would be naive not to assume that in Spain (where these oil are consumed up to six times more and the presentations are very far from being ‘premium’) the situation is better. It is not, it cannot be. And it is precisely what should lead us to a reflection: we talk about one of the most important products in the country, the axis of a strategic industry that articulates the entire country. It is time to assume that conserving that heritage requires a much deeper look, a plan that goes beyond day to day. And that, I’m afraid, is a pending task. Image | Fulvio Ciccolo | Oregon State University In Xataka | Olive oil sales have fired 50%. The market is so broken that it threatens to be bad news

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