Welcome to
Antonio's Homeland...

--- Antonio

[Antonio] says that people from southern Spain have a very distinct character. "We are very ironic and skeptical. People think that people in the south of Spain are happy because they want a fiesta all the time. It's not like that. It's just we have a sense of:'What a ridiculous thing to be here on a stone - the stone that is the earth 5,000 million people, hanging in nowhere!' The Earth - it's a stone! You can't forget that." [British Premiere, Feb. 95]

Andalusia is Spain's southernmost region. It is composed of the provinces of Huelva, Sevilla, Cordoba, Jaen, Almeria, Granada, Malaga, and Cadiz. Some of the things which we most associate with Spain are typically Andalusian -- flamenco dancing, bullfighting, white villages, gazpacho and the Costa del Sol. While other parts of Spain also have Moorish influences, they are most dominant in the south. The Moors were late in leaving Andalusia -- Malaga was recaptured by the Christians in 1487. As mentioned elsewhere, Antonio's mother believes her surname Bandera(s) is of Moorish origin.

Antonio and fellow famous Andalusians: Of course the most famous Malagueño of all was painter Pablo Picasso. According to Tan Solo Un Actor, Antonio's childhood home was not far away from Picasso's birthplace. Antonio is known to admire Picasso for his artistic integrity as well as his talent. Melanie is said to have given Antonio more than one Picasso as special gifts.

One famous living Andalusian, flamenco dancer extraordinaire Joaquín Cortés, has thankfully robbed from Antonio (and Julio Iglesias) the unofficial title of most internationally gossiped about Spaniard. Joaquín, born in Cordoba, claims to be from gypsy stock. His on-again, off-again romance with Naomi Campbell has become constant fodder for the tabloid press.

These pictures were taken in the summer of 1996 in Seville and Marbella.

Top left: Antonio is pictured with Marbella's mayor, Jesus Gil, whose reputation is not above reproach. The original Marbella house that Antonio and Melanie stayed at was not satisfactory; supposedly there was no air conditioning and it was too easily accessed by the paparazzi. Gil is supposed to have had some involvement in Antonio's renting the house of Encarna Sanchez.

Top right: The young man in the white shirt is fellow Malagueño Javier Conde, a renowned bullfighter. The two were together for a television show in Seville, shortly after Stella's birth. This was the first meeting between the two famous Andalusians and according to the press, they are great mutual admirers.

At the bottom right is tennis player Manuel Santana. The little girl in the bottom left is Santana's daughter.

Málaga is Andalusia's second largest city after Seville (population was approximately 300,000 at the time of Antonio's birth). Malaga lies in the province of the same name. Only the province of Cadiz is more southern or closer to northern Africa. The Malaga province is known for striking contrasts -- mountains, caves, white towns, wildlife habitats, tourist resorts. The city of Malaga is rich in history going back to the times of the Phoenicians when it was the bustling port of Malaca. Later it was a port for the Roman trade with Byzantium. Malaga's heyday was after it fell to the Moors in 711. In the nineteenth century, the city flourished first because its wine became very popular and later because many British began to spend winters there.

To the north and east of Malaga are the hills of Montes de Malaga. And northwest of them lie:

Carratraca is the town where Antonio spent summers as a youth: exploring caves, telling ghost stories to local kids, swimming, diving, etc. and annoying his aunt. The town is northwest of Malaga in the Rio Guadalhorce valley. The nearest town on most maps is Alora. To the northeast is the picturesque El Chorro Gorge, a canyon 1300 feet deep in some places. Carratraca became popular in the 1900s because of its "foul-smelling waters" {i.e. sulphur}. The mineral springs brought the wealthy and famous such as Lord Byron, Alexander Dumas, and King Ferdinand VI.

The Costa del Sol {Sun Coast} Most of what is considered the Costa del Sol is between the city of Malaga and Gibraltar. Towns include:

	Which is said to be a pioneer in the development of mass tourism in Spain.
	The current home to Antonio's parents.
	One of Europe's most exclusive resorts and Antonio's current Spanish home.

One of my books claim that when the Arabs ruled, Andalusia had the West's most sophisticated cuisines, but Christianity brought economic stagnation and peasant food became the norm. Anyway, Andalusia produces over 20% of the world's olive oil and Andalusians use it a lot. "Tostada con aceite" , served for breakfast, is just a thick slice of toast with olive oil spread on top. Other foods from the area are cured hams, chorizo (garlic sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), and seafood. Gazpacho is the favorite soup. It is made from ripe tomatoes, garlic, bread, olive oil, and served cold (you may recall Pepa from Women on the Verge served hers with sleeping pills). Paella, a saffron-rice dish is eaten all over Spain. One version popular in the south is served with fish and shellfish. A pastry snack is fried churros. Tapas, bite-sized servings of food, are the equivalent of o'derves. And for a dish that looks like an abstract painting, there's huevos a la flamenco, baked eggs with ham and vegetables.

Sharon C., who just recently returned from a visit to Andalusia, had a lot of observations about the food and eating customs:

People don't get up and start the day until around 9 AM at which time they eat a breakfast of bread, fruit, and coffee. Then they go to work until time for the main meal of the day around 2:30 or 3:00. Maria's mother served a two course meal, but even the main meal is not big. The first plate would be something like gazpacho, or boiled shrimp, or cold potato or pasta salad. The second plate would be a piece of fish or chicken. Then we would have bread and cheese, then fruit, then perhaps a box of chocolates would go around and everyone would have one piece. We drank water with our meal and sometimes a glass of fino (dry sherry). The striking thing, to an American, is that the servings are small and eaten sequentially. At no point do you find more than one type of thing on a plate at once.

Then around 6:00 you have a snack called merienda-- coffee and a roll or bocadillo (little sandwich) or for children a chocolate sandwich. The final meal, cena, is taken around 9:00 or 10:00 PM and-- if you're eating tapas in a bar with friends as I often did with Maria in Seville-- it can last until one in the morning. The tapas are so wonderful it's almost impossible to describe. Here's what I had when I was out with Maria and friends in a tapas bar in Marbella (it was so fantastic I had to write it down): patatas bravas (boiled potatoes in a piquant, spicy sauce) patatas in alioli (cold potatoes in garlic mayonnaise-- heavenly!) bocarones fritas (whole deep-fried sardines, though they are large enough to be called smelts. People from Malaga are sometimes called "bocarones" because it is so typical of the region, and in a political article from about two years ago, when Antonio was expressing his views about the elections, a conservative newspaper called him a "bocarone"- which is why Maria kept ordering them for me-- she'd say "You have to eat this for Antonio!" They are really delicious). Pulpo al la Gallecia (octopus marinated in olive oil and paprika) chiporones a la plancha (little squids grilled on an open fire-- these were the ambrosia of the gods-- like grilled lobsters-- we have nothing like it in the states that I've ever seen) bacalao a la Viscaya (cod basque style, marinated in tomato, peppers and oil) revuelto con setas y gambas (scrambled eggs with mushrooms and shrimp) Can you believe this list? And on other occasions we would have tortillas, which are potato and egg omelettes that cook up sort of like a quiche-- I was addicted to them) calamari, green salad, grilled mushroom caps-- all kinds of fish, little sausages (the only meat I ever saw in a tapas bar except, of course, for the famous jamon, of which there are many varieties)-- all served in small quantities, what me might think of as half a serving. You usually order one tapa per person then everyone shares, and often one person takes over the ordering for everyone, or a couple of people consult together and order for the group. Spaniards are very particular about what they eat, but they don't eat very much. Everyone gets one or two bites of everything, and that's it.

Fino. a sherry, is Andalusia's predominant wine. Moscatel is a dessert wine from Malaga. Local beers are Cruz Campo and San Miquel. Café con leche (half coffee, half milk), sombra (mostly milk), cortado (mostly coffee), and cafe solo (expresso style) are coffee choices. Hot chocolate is very popular. Nineteenth century English writer Richard Ford said that "Chocolate is for the Spanish what tea is for the English."

Andalusia has a tradition of arts and crafts with towns having different specialties. Malaga is famous for its wine. Ceramics, leather goods, marquetry (inlaid boxes), rugs, handmade fans, castanets, guitars, and mantillas are also big favorites. On the Costa del Sol, bric-a-brac markets and car trunk sales are popular. The best is held on Saturday morning beside the bullring at Puerto Banús, just outside of Marbella.

Christmas in Andalusia -- Antonio, Melanie, José, Ana, and Tippi enjoy the performers.

It is said that hardly a day passes in Andalusia that there isn't a fiesta somewhere. Usually it is religious, sometimes it is marking a date of historic significance. Of particular significance to Antonio is:

Cabalgata de Reyes: January 5th -- Traditionally Spanish children receive their presents on the night of the three kings. Towns hold processions, and the kings arrive on camels.

Semana Santa [Holy Week]: March/April -- The week of processions with penitents and decorated thrones was the first drama to which Antonio was exposed. Antonio's biography stressed the major influence the processions had on Antonio. Recently his brother Chico confirmed that his favorite memories of the two brothers together was Semana Santa.

Virgen del Carmen: July 15th & 16th. Fishermen pay homage to the Virgin, placing her in a fishing boat for a sea trip. Antonio chose "Carmen" for the middle name of his daughter because he is devoted to the Virgen del Carmen and to the sea.

Summer fiesta: August first two weeks. This is Malaga's huge two week festival with horses and carriages parading, concerts, bullfights, fireworks, funfair, dancing, singing, etc.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION -- Insight Guides' Southern Spain [thanks to Sharon C.  for the gift] and Eyewitness Travel Guide; Seville & Andalusia are informative and useful with exceptional photos. There is also information on the web:

                     The Costa del Sol Web Site

                     Marbella Official Pages

 

Spanish online newspapers with good information on people, culture, and entertainment (in Spanish):

 

                     El Pais

                     El Periodico