On the walled side of the Alhambra hides a fascinating seven-hectare orchard with a lot of history. El Carmen de los Mártires, which is how this group of Andalusian, Nasrid, Romantic, English Neoclassical and French Baroque style gardens is known, once delighted Federico García Lorca and José Zorrilla, who left their wake on the route of the poets.

Among other stories, it is said that El Carmen de los Mártires (so called by the Christian captives locked up in the dungeons during the Arab domination) belonged to a Carlist general who served as Valle-Inclán’s inspiration for the Marqués de Bradomín.

The garden passed into the hands of a Belgian millionaire who organized large parties at the beginning of the 20th century. Its last owner was a Hieronymite nun, Sister Cristina de la Cruz de Arteaga, who donated it to the City Council and so far, it has become an incomparable place for contemplation, due to its views of Granada and the Sierra Nevada.

All this and much more is told by Mónica Luengo, art historian and landscape designer, in the second chapter of the third installment of ‘Gardens with history’ on La 2 (Saturday, 6:45 p.m.). The new journey started last week in the Labyrinth of Horta (Barcelona) and will then move on to the Yuste Monastery (Cáceres), the Campo del Moro Gardens (Madrid), Cristina Enea and Miramar (San Sebastián), Canteras de S ‘Hostal (Menorca) and thus up to 13 new stops.

Mónica Luengo, with her background as an art historian and landscape consultant, takes over as presenter from the architect Arturo Franco. Sonia Tercero Ramiro (2018 New York Film and Television Festival Award winner with ‘Sorolla: Los Viajes de la Luz’) once again directs the series, which won the Iris Jury Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, for “its careful aesthetics, for making the viewer aware of the landscape heritage and for its clear commitment to the environment”.

“The program has been captivating a very varied audience: from young people interested in botany to a more adult audience that makes itineraries visiting the gardens,” says the director. “Many people already consult the ‘online’ chapters to prepare for their trips and to be able to enjoy the details of the history of each of the gardens we have visited (39 in total)”.

The series remains true to the spirit in which it started, as a fully immersive experience thanks to the stunning images of the gardens and with a sense of “enchantment” by the human stories behind it.

Arturo Franco knew how to give the first two installments a point of adventure with that tireless explorer air with which he jumped from park to park. Mónica Luengo, who participated from the beginning as an advisor, now takes the alternative before the camera with a calmer tone that invites reflection and delight in these unique spaces, co-created by man and nature.

Mónica Luengo combines her dissemination work with that of a researcher and landscape designer with the direction of Masters in Cultural and Natural Heritage. In 2021 she was responsible for the candidacy of the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Paisaje de al Luz, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sonia Tercero Ramiro also highlights the effort to broaden the geography with stops in Extremadura and the Basque Country and expand the palette of colors and styles, from the most classic to the most contemporary, such as the Pazo de Pegullal in Pontevedra (carried out by the landscape artist and philosopher Fernando Caruncho) with which the series will end.

The Campogrande park in Valladolid, the Isla Atlánticos Botanical Garden, the María Luisa park in Seville or the Jardines de la Marquesa de Arucas in Las Palmas will be other stops in this third installment.

“We are very happy to continue promoting botanical and landscape awareness in our country,” concludes the director of the program. “Our goal is to help everyone appreciate the wonders of these gardens that are of historical and artistic interest and are part of our culture.”

According to the criteria of The Trust Project