Luke Stegemann's 'A New biography of Madrid' has been a hit with both the Spanish and English language press. An ode to a city he has much affection for, it's a lyrical read that delves into the history of the city from its origins as an outpost of the Emirate of Cordoba, to the heart of a vast Catholic Empire, to its present day as a modern European city.

In this interview we tried to cover as much ground as possible but the book is vast in scope so hopefully it will whet your appetite to buy a copy! 

If you are interested in the history of Madrid there are plenty of short posts on my blog to check out.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠ leave a tip⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

The Royal Armoury at the Palacio Real recently reopened to the public. To celebrate, I put together this episode featuring some of the highlights of the collection. From the cute armour worn by Carlos I's dog to the full suit made for Felipe II's marriage to Mary Tudor, I cover stories connected to the powerful Habsburg family before finishing up with a look at the newest items on display: beautiful yet lethal arquebuses produced in Madrid during Bourbon rule.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠⁠ leave a tip⁠⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

Unable to eat wheat and worried about a trip to Madrid? Worry no more! Event photographer and videographer Gareth Sewell knows better than most about this subject: despite being diagnosed as having Celiac disease a few years ago, he has continued to go out and enjoy the restaurant scene.

In this interview we talk about why Madrid is still a great destination if you can't eat wheat, the vocabulary you'll need for ordering gluten-free food, where to buy gf bread and most importantly where to eat out. This episode will appeal to anyone who wants the lowdown on the best gluten-free restaurants in the city!

Gareth has been known to do the occasional food tour and you can find him at https://www.gts-life.com/

Support the show:

Leave a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Pick up a copy of ⁠Quiet Madrid⁠, the e-book guide to the city's quieter corners — available at ⁠The Making of Madrid⁠

Get an audio walking tour on ⁠VoiceMap⁠ — including a new Malasaña backstreets tour featuring several of the tile locations mentioned in this episode

Los Gabrieles on Calle Echegaray has finally reopened after more than 20 years, and it was worth every minute of the wait. In this episode, I dig into the history of one of Madrid's most spectacular bars and the remarkable renaissance of commercial ceramic tile art in the city during the 1920s.

Places mentioned in this episode:

Los Gabrieles, Calle Echegaray 17, Barrio de las Letras — no reservations for the downstairs bar, arrive before 1.30pm

Villa Rosa, Plaza de Santa Ana — flamenco bar with beautiful tiled facade

Antigua Casa Talavera, Calle Isabel la Católica — fourth-generation tile shop, over 100 years old

Farmacia Juance, Calle San Andrés, Malasaña — an extraordinary surviving tile shopfront

Museo de Historia de Madrid, Calle Fuencarral, Malasaña

Matadero Madrid, Paseo de la Chopera — former slaughterhouse, now an arts centre with surviving tile work

Chamberi Ghost Station — preserved 1920s metro station with original tile advertisements

Talavera de la Reina — a great day trip from Madrid if you want to go deeper into the history of the craft

Support the show:

Leave a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Pick up a copy of Quiet Madrid, the e-book guide to the city's quieter corners — available at The Making of Madrid

Get an audio walking tour on VoiceMap — including a new Malasaña backstreets tour featuring several of the tile locations mentioned in this episode

What does Madrid's history look like when you include the stories that have long been left out? In this episode, I sit down with activist and tour guide Kwame Ondo. He's spent years piecing together the hidden history of Black people in Spain — from pre-Colonial trade routes and the time of Al-Andalus, through to the slave markets of Seville and the abolitionist movement of the First Republic — to found his company Afro Iberían tours.

Kwame takes visitors through Madrid's old and modern city to uncover the Black figures, artworks, and stories hiding in plain sight. In the interview, we talk about the remarkable life of Juan de Pareja, Spain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, and why President Emilio Castelar — one of Spain's greatest orators — had to flee the country after speaking out against slavery.

We also discuss what Madrid looks like today: the effects of gentrification on Black communities, the politics of migration, and what Kwame, as a Pan-Africanist, thinks genuine justice would actually require.

Useful links

Book Kwame at: Afro Ibería Tours

Documentary about Black Africans in Renaissance Europe: We Were Here

Painter and former slave: Juan de Pareja

Kwame's restaurant recommendations: Dakar and Los Caracoles

Planning your first visit to Madrid? This episode contains a three-day itinerary designed to give you an authentic taste of Spain's capital city. On day one, you get oriented with the city's historical background, day two covers art, while day three takes you shopping.

But nothing is set in stone: alongside big-name attractions, I give you lesser-known alternatives to suit your individual needs: from gluten-free churros to quieter museums for the crowd-averse.

Whether you're interested in medieval history, modern art, vintage shopping, or simply soaking up the castizo spirit of Madrid, this episode provides practical recommendations to help you make the most of your time in this compact but culturally rich city.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also leave a tip to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

Useful links

Where to stay in Madrid

Guide to the Rastro

Churros and chocolate

What to do on a layover in Madrid

When to visit (my article for Lonely Planet)

Graffiti-spattered yet elegant Malasaña is filled with achingly cool boutique shops and hidden treasures. Once seedy and even a little dangerous, it's been transformed for better and worse in the past few years by gentrification, making it a safer, yet increasingly chichi destination.

While its heart is in Plaza Dos de Mayo, the great thing about Malasaña is that it sprawls across a wide area, so you can explore side streets to your heart's content. However, this can mean that navigation feels overwhelming, which is why I've created this episode to help guide you around the area.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠ leave a tip⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

How healthy is the famous Mediterranean diet really? And where can you stay fit in Madrid without breaking the bank? In this episode, I chat with personal trainer and nutrition coach Marietta Sandiland about navigating health and fitness in Spain's capital.

In it Marietta shares the surprising truth about changing dietary patterns in Spain, where to find the best fresh produce, and how Madrid's incredible green spaces—from Casa de Campo to Parque del Oeste—offer free opportunities to stay active. We also discuss strength training basics, why even 15 minutes twice a week can make a difference, and how to adapt your fitness routine to busy Madrid life.

For more about Marietta, go to her Instagram page: @mariettasandi_fitness or check out her podcast The Good Fit

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠ leave a tip⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

To get the best out of a stay in Madrid, it's important to stay in the right area. This episode covers the advantages and disadvantages of all the main barrios (neighbourhoods), so you can make an informed decision. It's an honest guide, so there are a couple of areas I recommend avoiding, but you'll have to listen to find out where they are.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠ leave a tip⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

Season two of The Making of Madrid is on its way! Before the new episodes drop, I'm taking you behind the scenes with a roundup of my five favourite episodes from season one. From the wildly popular "Overrated and Underrated" episode to a deep dive into Madrid's hidden Islamic heritage, literary culture, and the story of a remarkably powerful woman in 16th-century Spain, this preview gives you a taste of what makes this podcast tick.In this episode, I also give you a sneak peek at what's coming in season two: neighbourhood guides, a complete breakdown of the Rastro market, tips for planning a perfect 3-day trip to Madrid, and lots of fascinating interviews lined up. Plus, I explain why I'm sticking with audio-only for solo shows (spoiler: it's not just about brushing my hair). If you're new to the podcast, this is your chance to catch up on the best of season one and get ready for everything that's coming next.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook

⁠⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.

You can also⁠⁠ leave a tip⁠⁠ to show your support.

Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Sign up for my ⁠⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠⁠

(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)