“Almost all European westerns have been shot”: this fake village, setting of mythical films, is for sale

 

L’editiondusoir

By Lucie Bras

October 1, 2026

 

The setting of the famous film “Once Upon a Time in the West”, located in the heart of the Spanish desert, is for sale. Sixty years after its construction, the site is in poor condition, and the family to whom it belongs says they are “tired” to maintain it.

It is a real estate ad that is out of the ordinary. The setting of the mythical film Once upon a time in the West, imagined by the director Sergio Leone and his team, is for sale. In this cult work of 1968, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale and Henry Fonda play in a false western village, released from the ground for the film’s needs.

[Sergio Leone on the set of his film “Once Upon a Time in the West” in the Tabernas Desert, Spain. (Photo : ChristopheL Collection via AFP)]

The site, called Rancho Leone, is located in the heart of the Tabernas Desert in the southeast of Spain. This unique property has, in its time, become a symbol of the “western spaghetti”. “Almost all European westerns have been shot here,” director, producer and screenwriter Guillermo de Oliveira told the Spanish daily El País. The region is also labeled “City of Cinema”.

Rancho Leone, Tabernas Desert, Spain

And this village lost, nestled in a lunar landscape continues to attract: the place has hosted many film or commercial shoots since its construction. Mika's Boom boom was shot there. Pedro Almodovar filmed Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke for Strange Way of Life, released in 2023.

The real estate agency Meraki Homes, which is in charge of the promotion of this property, in demand 1.6 million euros, has spotted Le Figaro. This is less than the first offer, published in 2022, which estimated the place at 2.8 million euros. For this clumbly sum, buyers will become owners of a saloon, a sheriff’s office, a railway track... and a gallows for those sentenced to death. In all, the offer covers 80 000 m 2 of land.

“We are tired”

But sixty years after its construction, the decor is in poor condition, reports EsquireEsquire, confirming the reviews posted online by visitors, who pay €10 to access the site. The family who acquired it after the shooting is trying to sell his property so that he is maintained: “We are aging, we are tired. We’ve spent wonderful years here, but we can’t take care of it anymore,” Genara Rubio, the manager of the venue, told El País. The living conditions are rudimentary: the land is obviously not connected to the all-sewer or the electrical network.

Ideas to revitalize the place

In this preserved nature reserve, it is impossible to install a hotel. But the agency, in its announcement, suggests exploiting other sources of income: tourist visits to the day, themed gatherings, such as a wedding party, but also other film shoots or advertisements in this always magical setting. Note that a few minutes drive, two other decor villages of the same size also welcome visitors, Fort Bravo and Mini Hollywood Oasys. The latter has succeeded in his conversion and offers many activities to travelers: a water park, shows, a museum, a zoo... Enough to give ideas to future investors.