Waking up on a Saturday with the orange rays of the sun shining in your face in a house in a Mediterranean village in the countryside. in the countryside. Staying in bed, just for a little while longer, with your eyes open and your eyes open and silent, waiting for the children to come, because you the children, because you know they will come. All except Hugo, who you know how sleepy he is.
Get up to prepare breakfast. It still smells of the flowers you picked yesterday afternoon. It smells of lavender and jasmine. When you open the window that smell merges with the smell of thyme and rosemary, as if they were waiting for you. thyme and rosemary, as if they're waiting to come to come into the house. Then you make your bed. You see in the mirror that she's been left even beautifully undone with that book that and that you fell asleep with last night.
How the Raíces sound
To the sea that breaks far away but feels close. And to freshly washed sheets dancing in the wind. And to bare feet treading on fresh grass. And to a cicada happy to meet another cicada. They sound like what you'd like to hear before you close your eyes. They sound like a Spotify playlist like this.
Earth, water and fire
Ana Illueca is a Valencian artist who investigates the Raíces of Mediterranean culture and gives them form through clay. She navigates towards the origins of ceramics, updating symbols, shapes, techniques and pigments to create pieces that reflect the coexistence of civilisations and cultures through the centuries.
«He liked the warmth that physical activity gives. Chopping wood saves me from burning it, he said. The remedy ate the problem before it arose»
Manuel is dissatisfied neither with where he lives, nor with the work he does, nor with the life he leads. But a fortuitous accident leads him to an abandoned village where he will survive thanks to the purchase that his uncle makes for him and a collection of books that he finds in the house where he begins his new life. Los asquerosos (2018), by Santiago Lorenzo, is a novel full of so many things that, at the same time, helps you to value the very few things.
36°56′57″N 3°21′22″O
Bubión is one of the most special villages in the Alpujarra of Granada and one of the prettiest in Spain. It preserves the traditional Moorish architecture in a landscape of steep alleys and terraced houses that adapt to the steep profile of the terrain. It is a place where you can breathe peace, tranquillity and a Mediterranean climate that has turned it into a refuge for those who are looking for another, calmer way of life. Slower. More .living.
«Darling, I love you so much, so much, so much, that I can't say no to you»
Verano 1993 was Carla Simón's directorial debut in 2017. It tells the story of Frida, a six-year-old girl who faces the first summer of her life with her new adoptive family after the death of her mother. Far from her immediate environment, in the countryside, the girl tries to adapt to her new life and, above all, to the new things she feels.
Recipe extracted from Mañanitas: breakfast and rituals, by Claudia Polo and Blasina Rocher
Something as simple and Mediterranean as a toast made with good bread. Bread made in an artisan bakery by people who work with love every day. Better if it is made with wholegrain cereals, but it can be made with wheat flour, rye, spelt, corn, with a mixture of seeds, sultanas, nuts... Whatever you like best. Or the one that suits you best.
You cut a good slice and put it in the oven or toaster. And you start to notice that toasted bread smell that should be part of the heritage of humanity.
By the time the bread is ready, you spread a generous layer of fresh ricotta. You take two figs, cut them into quarters and put them on top. Chop some cashew nuts and a little mint and pour the mixture over the toast. And to finish it all off, top it all with a little honey.
It's not a bad way to start the day.
Carla Ferrandiz - Marketing manager
What was your inspiration for the theme of this collection?
This capsule is inspired by the Mediterranean essence, rural life, returning to our origins and reconnecting with small pleasures. In the purity of the earth and the beauty of the flora. In that dawn light that only Mediterranean villages have. The five designs are dominated by small flowers from wild fields, with a variety of cheerful colours, but at the same time subtle and with a romantic touch.
What would you like to convey with it?
Simplicity, purity, calm and tradition. The essence of origin. The roots.
What does the village mean to you?
To return to the village is to return to our first home, the one where we were born and grew up. The village is that place that we feel close to even when we are far away and where anyone is able to disconnect, feel and remember. Villages are always peaceful, always cheerful and have a special aroma of family. A feeling of being at home.
Which is your favourite Mediterranean village?
If I had to choose one, I would say Begur, in Girona. If I had to choose two, I would add Frigiliana, in Malaga. And if I keep adding to the list I could say any Mediterranean village in Spain, to be honest. They have something special. The light, the breeze, the people...
