A sheriff’s office, saloon, and gallows: Sergio Leone’s Western-style town in Almería goes up for sale
The family that owns the legendary Rancho Leone, where ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ was filmed and Pedro Almodóvar shot a film in 2023, is offering it for €1.6 million
In the late 1960s, filmmaker Sergio Leone ventured to the province of Almería to capture the essence of Once Upon a Time in the West. While the desert landscape proved mesmerizing, it was not sufficient to satisfy his creative vision. His production team set to work constructing a set, meticulously designed by Carlo Simi, which featured numerous structures and a railroad, collectively known as Rancho Leone.
This location has since been the backdrop for multiple productions, including other Spaghetti Western films, television shows, music videos, and advertising campaigns.
More recently, in 2023, renowned director Pedro Almodóvar visited Rancho Leone to shoot Strange Way of Life, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. However, the set has been left neglected due to a lack of maintenance, and is now up for sale at an asking price of €1.6 million ($1.84 million). Genara Rubio, the manager and owner of the facilities, lamented the site's deteriorating condition, stating, "We're getting older, and we're tired. It had a really great run, but we just can't handle all this anymore."
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