In the late 1960s, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone arrived in the province of Almería to shoot the film Once Upon a Time in the West. He was blown away by the landscape, but the desert alone wasn’t enough: his production team built a set designed by Carlo Simi that included several buildings and a railroad. It was christened Rancho Leone and has since hosted many other shoots for the legendary Spaghetti Westerns, as well as TV series, music videos, and advertising campaigns. Pedro Almodóvar also stopped by in 2023 to shoot Strange Way of Life with Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. Today, this set, which has fallen into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, is on the market for €1.6 million ($1.84 million). “We’re getting older, and we’re tired. It had a really great run, but we just can’t handle all this anymore,” says Genara Rubio, the manager and owner of the site, at the entrance to the facilities.

Western Leone is tucked away in a Martian-like landscape next to the Verdelecho riverbed, just a stone’s throw from the A-92 highway in the Tabernas Desert (Almería, population 3,991). From the highway, it’s just a few meters down a dirt road to its grounds, but it feels like a journey back in time. This spot combines the magic of cinema with the uniqueness of its surroundings. Over the years, new buildings — and even Indian teepees — were added to the original sets built for Leone’s film, starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Claudia Cardinale. Everything is still standing. “Almost every European Western was filmed there,” notes director, producer, and screenwriter Guillermo de Oliveira, who directed the Almería Western Film Festival from 2021 to 2023. “It’s an incredible, unique place with a lot of history,” says De Oliveira, who points out how, for example, when the first wooden buildings were erected, two enormous fans were placed on the facade to cover it in dust and make it look as though they’d been exposed to the harsh sun for decades. “Its main attraction is the desert, its sets, and everything that’s been filmed there,” adds Miguel Ángel Cañadas, who shot the short film La venganza se sirve fría (Revenge is a dish best served cold) at that location in 2017, which won an award a year later at the Tabernas Film Festival.

The site continues to host film, television, and commercial shoots, as well as music video shoots — such as the one for Mika’s song Boum Boum Boum. It is also open to visitors, with tickets costing €10 per person. However, the deterioration of the facilities and the lack of maintenance are the main themes in most of the online reviews left by visitors, who complain about unsafe conditions and neglect. In addition, environmental officers from the Andalusian regional government reported an unauthorized party held there in 2022, according to sources within the Andalusian administration. And the Civil Guard’s Seprona (Nature Protection Service) unit also took action regarding animal abuse.

The family that owns the property acquired the site after the filming of Leone’s legendary movie, and they still live there today, though they explain that they can no longer afford to continue the project and want to bring in new blood. Years ago, they put the property up for sale for €2.8 million ($3.21 million). At the time, it was being marketed by the real estate firm Grupo Rukasa, but no one took the plunge to buy it. Four months ago, the real estate firm Meraki Homes took over the sale, now at a much lower price of €1.6 million.

Possible uses

The agency’s director, Ismael Fernández, notes that the offer has received a great deal of attention and has generated significant interest, but that only a couple of business groups have shown genuine interest. Everything hinges, he says, on upcoming meetings. “It’s a process that requires time and effort,” he stresses, noting that the lot spans more than 80,000 square meters, of which about 800 are constructed upon. However, it lacks an electrical connection and, for now, is powered only by a small solar power plant and generators. Furthermore, the land is zoned as rural and is situated within a natural landscape, which is why its potential uses are limited. “They won’t allow a hotel, but many other activities are possible: concerts, cultural events, and, of course, film shoots,” Fernández points out.

The listing description on the real estate agency’s website includes options such as themed weddings, exclusive celebrations, brand launches, festivals, concerts, corporate events, and culinary festivals. That’s why the agent believes Western Leone has the same potential as the other historic Western-themed towns in the area: Fort Bravo and Mini Hollywood Oasis. This is especially true of the latter, which offers a wide range of activities, accommodations, a water park, and even a wildlife reserve with up to 800 animals, including lions and giraffes.

“Western Leone is a location with a very important history for our town. It has hosted numerous film shoots over the past few decades and is part of our desert’s identity as a major film set,” notes José Díaz, the mayor of Tabernas, who is confident that the town will be acquired by a business group that will preserve its most significant buildings and breathe new life into the project. Díaz also points out that Tabernas holds the “Film Town” designation, a recognition that reflects the town’s close relationship with the film industry and its status as the only true desert in Europe, a vast natural film set. “Film is part of our identity, our heritage, and also our development model. Every film shoot creates jobs, boosts tourism, and projects the image of Tabernas to the world,” Díaz concludes.

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