Sergio's Leone ''The Bad and The Ugly'' become one of the best-known westerns in history and turned Clint Eastwood into a major film star. It is less known that the set of the fictitious Sad Hill cemetery is actually located in northern Spain and the movie was made entirely in Europe.

The cemetery was specially built for the epic grand-finale scene by spanish military serviceman in 1960's. The movie become a classic and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is a world-class masterpiece. After the movie was shot the place went abandonned and gradually overgrew with weeds and shrubs. In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the movie a group of enthusiasts dedicated to restoring the glory of the place which is still unspoiled with any modern facility (no electricity cables in the background, modern buildings ect.)

It takes a short 1 hour drive from Burgos in Norther Spain to get to the place. The place is located in a hilly area and can be accessed by a good ground road from Santo Domingo de Silos or Contreras. I visited it several times and some extensive road works were in progress to improve the road leading to it. 

It is not a problem to stay overnight on site as I did, but if You prefer to sleep in a hotel Santo Domingo de Silos is perhaps the best option. It is a charming town and for the first time I parked by Hotel Silos 2000 where one of my friends decided to stay.

With the vocal support of Metallica's leader James Hetfield the restoration movement gathered momentum as dozens of volunteers from across Spain did a great job that we can enjoy today. In summer 2022 the area suffered from wood fires but luckily the cemetery itself was not affected. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhh6tvWVTAY (Metallica - Sad Hill Unearthed)

The real place seems a bit smaller than in Leone's movie, who was using a wide frame shots blended with uplifting camera cranes. It is impressive nevertheless and the unspoiled landscape around the main scene (especially the rugged flat top mountain to the north) is breathtaking.  

For the movie fans ... the actual site of another famous scene from "The Bad the Good and the Ugly (Betterville prison Camp) is located nearby, beside the small village of Carazo, some 7-8 km to the east. Basically a pasture land today as no restoration took place there, but keep a vigil, perhaps something gonna change in a future. Together with a Blowing Bridge scene in Covarrubias (30 min driving north-west) that would be an epic set of scenes from this legendary movie.

The good, the bad and the ugly - Ecstasy of Gold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubVc2MQwMkg)

“You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJCSNIl2Pls