La Latina neighborhood

One of the most recurrent adjectives used to describe Madrid is castizo, which means something genuine, authentic and pure. Time’s passing and some changes in the environment are unavoidable, but it is important to address the changes to the right direction, not to lose the charm of the place. Some people consider the changes as something positive while others don’t, but La Latina neighborhood keeps representing well the castizo vibe, regardless of whether the morphology of the place or its inhabitants are not the same anymore.
The familiar attitude of its neighbors led to create the Campo de la Cebada project, a place dedicated to creativity, sports, leisure activities and diverse cultural parties, available and affordable to everyone. Unfortunately, this is coming to an end and it is planned to replace it with a sports center and a swimming pool for the neighborhood, which was lacking since the previous one was demolished in 2009.
La Latina seems to be the perfect place for enjoying your free time outdoors, just like Madrilenians like to do. Starting from Plaza de la Cebada, where there is the metro station of La Latina, the market, the aforementioned Campo de la Cebada and the theater, any person can undertake an interesting day full of activities to do, as within this network of streets you can find a very varied offer of leisure.
The restaurants and bars are uncountable, so if you go out with your friends to La Latina, you will surely find your favorite place, whatever your pretensions. The streets of the Cava Alta and the Cava Baja are the most popular because of the quality and variety of their offer, for having both modern and traditional places, such as Casa Lucio..
But there are more ways to killing time than sitting in a bar or a terrace, for example undertaking a cultural visit. The Museum of San Isidro, a place which aim is to show the history of Madrid from its origins, is a great option if you want to be documented on the city.
Being an historical neighborhood, it is common to find ancient structures in good conservation, so take a walk is always interesting. You will have the chance to see squares, churches and other religious buildings of the past centuries. The temple of San Francisco el Grande stands out over the rest. It is close to the Vistillas garden, which is other good option to spend time outdoors and here is where the patronal feasts are celebrated, called Fiestas de la Paloma, every year in August. Despite winter is not the best time of the year to stay outdoors, the street life and the bustling atmosphere are always very live here.
All these conditions are just some of the reasons why this neighborhood deserves to be visited, a neighborhood that attracts any kind of people who find in La Latina their favorite corner.
This neighborhood, like some others in Madrid, is now suffering an undesired modernization process that is causing an increase in rental prices and, as a consequence, the neighbors are moving to other districts.  We wish from Spaneasy that the identity of this district, which has always been appreciated by both Madrilenians and foreigners, can be protected.
If you have had the chance of staying for a while in La Latina, we would like to know how was your experience and if you found your favorite place. We are looking forward to read your opinion in the comments section below.