The next morning, Tila whisked me off on a tour of the north of the island. We drove high into the hills, through lava fields covered in lichen in soft shades of gold, green and cream. On our left was the Monte Corona volcano, and standing alone on the hillside below it was La Torrecilla, the large house that is used as a clinic in Broken Embraces.
A lava tube runs from the volcano to the sea, billowing out to form caves along the way. In one of these, Manrique created Los Jameos del Agua, a massive grotto that contains a recently restored auditorium, where Broken Embraces had its first screening. “The acoustics there are amazing,” Almodovar later told me.
At the northern tip of the island, Manrique turned an old gun battery on the edge of a cliff into a restaurant and observation point, the Mirador del Rio, where the bar has a curving panoramic window with views across to the island of La Graciosa. Almodovar did shoot a scene in this dramatic setting, but it didn’t make the final cut.
“We organize an annual charity event, the Tres Islas,” said Tila, “when teams swim from La Graciosa over to Lanzarote, climb the cliff near here, then cycle the 60km across the island before sailing across to Fuerteventura.”
The road wound to the south and we drove towards Haria, where Manrique lived for the last few years of his life. Hidden in a lush valley and surrounded by palm trees, it is one of the prettiest villages on the island. We stopped for lunch at La Frontera, a popular family-friendly restaurant with views down the valley, and ate chunks of eggplant with palm honey, and tender lamb chops.
Later on, Tila dropped me off at El Aljibe in the remote village of Los Valles, where I was going to spend my last night. From the outside, it looked like a traditional Canarian farmhouse, albeit a rather chic one. Inside, however, a staircase led down through an archway into an enormous stone space with a vaulted ceiling and mezzanine sleeping area. Originally the underground water cistern for the farm, El Aljibe is now stylishly decorated with paintings and sculptures by renowned local artists, all friends of the owner, who was also close to Manrique and worked with him on some of his projects back in the 1970s.
Sinking into the outdoor Jacuzzi in this incongruously glamorous setting, my mind wandered to the amazing parties you could throw there — but you would need both Manrique and Almodovar on the guest list to really make it swing.
On the Net: Cesar Manrique’s home, Taro de Tahiche, fcmanrique.org; Los Jameos del Agua, centrosturisticos.com; Mirador del Rio, centrosturisticos.com; Spanish Tourist Office spain.info
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