Are you a Spaghetti Western Movie Fan? Then Head to Spain

The Man with No Name at Sad Hill Cemetery

Nostalgia rules in Spain for Spaghetti Western & Clint Eastwood fans. Italian director Sergio Leone chose to make his movies in various locations in Spain which is why they are called “Spaghetti Westerns”.

When my husband & I were in northern Spain in 2023 walking the Camino Frances route, I commented how the terrain made me feel like I was in an old Western movie when he told me that many were made in Spain.

In fact, the iconic final scene from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” movie was filmed only 40 miles south from where we walked in the Mirandilla Valley near Santo Domingo de Silos.

To refresh your memory, here is a link to the epic final showdown in the cemetery.

Sad Hill Cemetery is not a real graveyard – it was built entirely from scratch for “The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly” in 1966. After filming ended, it was abandoned for nearly 50 years.

Overgrown & forgotten, this iconic filming location was very nearly lost until a group of very dedicated movie fans set out to find it. They discovered the famous circular plaza buried inches below the ground.

For months, volunteers from around the world came to help with this labor of love & the iconic filming location was saved!

We enjoyed having fun with some borrowed props & walking around this restored movie set located south of Burgos, Spain.

$200,000 in gold is buried in the grave marked “Unknown” next to Arch Stanton

“In this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend… those with loaded guns and those who dig. …You dig.” 😂🤣

To see other iconic Spaghetti Western movie film locations, we went to the Tabernas Desert in southern Spain near Alméria. With only about 9 inches rain per year, this area looks like parts of Arizona & New Mexico.

Our first stop was called Western Leone. It undoubtedly looks like an old Western movie town.

Original poster with “The Good, The Ugly, and the Bad” (The order in the title was switched for the English movie version)

The second movie set that was only a few miles away is called Fort Bravo/ Texas Hollywood. Not only have many Western movies been filmed here; but also movies including Lawerence of Arabia & Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade.

They also conduct live Western shows. The actors speak Spanish, but it isn’t too hard to follow the plot. Always some bad men up to no good & a sheriff to save the day.