DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON
DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON LOCATION 14 CHARMING RATHER than spectacular, unassuming rather than ostentatious, Málaga is nonetheless increasingly catching the eye of sophisticated travellers seeking to go beyond the usual historical, cultural and gastronomic experiences on the Iberian Peninsula. Its understated nature is perhaps why, for years, it failed to make the most of its most famous son – the über-extrovert Pablo Picasso. More recently, the city has put significant investment in its cultural scene – with Picasso at its heart – and the place that was once merely a gateway to the resorts of the Costa del Sol has become a beguiling destination in its own right. Accommodation was mediocre for years, but the beautiful Palacio Solecio (palaciosolecio.com) has changed that. The restored 18th-century palace retains many of its original features yet has a modern air throughout its 68 spacious rooms, where contemporary furnishings blend in subtly with antique curiosities. The boutique hotel has a cosmopolitan air that befits the palace once owned by a Genoese entrepreneur, but its outstanding eatery is a true Málagan gem from José Carlos García, who also owns a Michelinstarred restaurant in the city port. At Palacio Solecio’s charm-infused restaurant Balausta, he gives Palacio Solecio’s guests a taste of his avant-garde Andalusian cuisine. The emphasis is on seafood, though he also creates dishes that make use of the region’s bounteous terrestrial produce – the marinated Iberian pork is a standout – all served in an airy chequered-floor dining room, illuminated beautifully under a glass dome. Centrally located on Calle Granada, a tiled pedestrian-only street, Solecio has the magnificent Iglesia de Daniel Buren’s multicoloured glass cube at the Centre Pompidou Málaga Santiago right on its doorstep. The church’s ornate imagery tops the nearby cathedral as the most glorious religious site in town – yet it is perhaps more famed for another reason: it is where Picasso was christened. The great artist looms large throughout the streets in the district. A short walk away – and Málaga is very much a city to discover on foot – is Plaza de la Merced, the square where he was born in 1881. At No 15, on the corner, the artist’s birthplace is home to the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Foundation. Engravings, illustrated books, preparatory drawings and lithographs – as well as work of other artists – form a fascinating back drop to Picasso’s story and a perfect appetiser to the main event: the Museo Picasso (museopicassomalaga. org), a ten-minute stroll away. Housed in the 16th-century Palacio de Buenavista, itself an architectural treat, melding Renaissance and Moorish influences, bright and breezy spaces display a permanent collection of Picasso’s works, with pieces from as early as the 1890s to 1972, a year before his death. Having been on its travels, the collection returned to the museum on its post-lockdown reopening, featuring a revamped layout, with FROM TOP: © PALACIO SELECIO, FRANK HEUER/LAIF
FROM TOP: © MUSEO PICASSO MÁLAGA, ALAMY works including some never shown before in Málaga. Small groups of related pictures and sculptures have been curated together (portraits, still-lifes, anatomy, and the museum also captures his influence on the art world in accompanying exhibitions, many featuring female artists such as Swiss Surrealist Meret Oppenheim. A first retrospective of her work in Spain for 30 years will take place from 20 October to 7 February. The Thyssen Collection and the Russian Museum are also must-visit destinations for art aficionados, but even non-aesthetes will appreciate the Centre Pompidou Málaga (centrepompidou-malaga.eu). Situated in the modern port area, where chic boutiques mingle with laid-back restaurants and bars, it was the first offshoot of Paris’s iconic cultural complex outside France, a pristine white structure topped by a playful, multicoloured glass cube designed by French conceptual artist Daniel Buren. Beneath the Gallic flair, the subterranean galleries have a more Iberian accent at the moment with From Miró to Barceló: A Century of Spanish Art, showcasing works from The Alcazaba fort overlooks the ruins of a Roman theatre in the heart of the city The Crommelynck printing press, on display Museo Picasso Málaga, was used by the artist in Paris some of country’s most influential artists of the 20th Century (running until November 2021). A city for all the senses, Málaga’s food and drink scene finds its stride in the intimate eateries scattered across the map. The excellent La Cosmopolita ( +34 952 21 58 27) brings a rustic vibe to the centre of town – bone marrow with prawn tartare a speciality – while the famed bodega El Pimpi (elpimpi.com) is lively, eclectic hangout that attracts the see-and-beseen crowd, and lies in the shadow of the Moorish fort Alcazaba. For a delightfully local take on Málagan cuisine, the magnificent Atarazanas market is a melange of sights, sounds and smells from its grand arched entrance to the stained-glass mosaic that frames the rear of the building. Though still a working market with stall after stall of fish, vegetables and fruit, the recent addition of a number of bars and tapas restaurants on the periphery allows the onlooker to sit back, relax and take in the colourful show that is Málagan daily life. The stage is also playing a large part in the city’s cultural renaissance, spearheaded by another of Málaga’s famous sons, Antonio Banderas. The Hollywood star reopened the Teatro del Soho Caixabank last November, starring in the initial production of A Chorus Line, and also has a stake in the adjoining Tercer Acto (terceractogastro.com), a Japanese- Mediterranean fusion restaurant, with delightfully theatrical surrounds, sublime sushi and nice selection of innovative cocktails. Fittingly in this unpretentious city, Banderas is entirely in the background here, encouraging diners to enjoy it for its own sake – a perfect parable for Málaga itself, whose 320 days of annual sunshine make it a place worth discovering all year round. 15 DEPARTURES
