On August 1, 2019, the Spanish Post issued another stamp from the series "12 months, 12 stamps" dedicated to the province of Almeria.
As with previous issues, the stamp depicts the main attractions and features of this region.
The province of Almeria is located in southern Spain, on the Mediterranean coast, so the sea is clear blue on the stamp, and you can see fish and red prawns from Garrucha - a famous local delicacy. In addition, Almeria is famous for its greenhouses where delicious tomatoes are grown. This province produces and sells more tomatoes than any other region of Spain, indeed more than some other European countries. To represent its historical attractions, the designer chose the Alcazaba fortress - an Arab citadel in Spain, built in the 12th century, and a traditional windmill.
Perhaps the most unexpected element on the design is the silhouette of a cowboy riding a horse. There is, however, an explanation for this: the desert landscapes of Almeria have long been chosen by filmmakers from different countries. In the province, there is the semi-arid Tabernas Desert, whose land has cracked in the hot sun and whose rocky, mountainous slopes have served, since 1962, as a colorful backdrop for a large number of films. Lawrence of Arabia, Conan the Barbarian, Indiana Jones and Anthony and Cleopatra are among the famous films that were shot there.
It was often in Almeria that Sergio Leone shot his westerns. His famous films about the wild west ("A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly") with the inimitable Clint Eastwood were filmed there, and the Spanish Tabernas became the American Rockies. A real town was built for filming: two small streets, a saloon, a bank, a church and the sheriff’s office.
After the shooting was finished, the scenery was not dismantled and now the Mini Hollywood theme park operates there. Everyone can soak up the atmosphere of the wild west, witness a bank robbery, chases and shootings with bandits, and then have a drink in the saloon and see the celebrated cancan. As a tribute to the cinematic legacy of Almeria, the silhouette of an American cowboy from Sergio Leone's films is clearly visible on the stamp.
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