Michael starts a journey of discovery
Channel 5, 9pm
MICHAEL Portillo doesn’t sit still for long. The 15th series of his Great British Railway Journeys only ended on BBC 2 a couple of weeks ago, and the third run of his Great Coastal Railway Journeys continues on BBC 2 tonight (6.30pm).
Nevertheless, the former Conservative MP is already off on his travels again. Over the next three Fridays, he will be taking viewers on a long weekend to three of his favourite European cities – Madrid, Prague and Milan.
On each break, he searches out la dolce vita, discovering each city’s best restaurants, bars, food markets and hotels.
The 70-year-old host also explores hidden neighbourhoods off the tourist trail and goes behind the scenes of major landmarks, including royal palaces, cathedrals, galleries and museums.
In each city, Michael meets up with locals who have a particular connection to the place. They introduce him to something they’re passionate about – the rich history, diverse architecture, food heritage, local crafts and customs.
Michael begins in one of his favourite European cities, and a place that is close to his heart – the bustling Spanish capital, Madrid.
A short flight from the UK, ‘El Foro’ is renowned as a city that never sleeps, and it’s one that Michael has visited regularly since he was a boy.
Home to over three million people, the Spanish Parliament and two of the world’s most successful football teams, it welcomes nearly 10 million visitors every year.
Michael’s weekend begins in the city centre on the busy Gran Via boulevard which connects the east end, home to Madrid’s famous Golden Triangle of art museums and El Retiro Park, with the western side, where the opulent Royal Palace sits.
Madrid is home to around 10,000 restaurants, and Michael heads for an early lunch at a place he knows well in the Old Town.
Founded in 1725, Casa Botín is the world’s oldest restaurant and has a wood-fired oven that hasn’t gone out in 300 years.
But, despite the eatery being a benchmark for traditional Spanish cuisine, there’s only one dish on their menu – roast suckling pig.
For the adventurous, there are plenty of surprises in Madrid. Michael visits hotel bars with a history of espionage, meets a traditional confectioner who makes a classic Spanish nougat, and chats to a bespoke tailor specialising in a very stylish cape.
For the culture vultures, Madrid doesn’t disappoint either, and the host goes behind-the-scenes of the opera house, El Teatro Real.
He visits one of the world’s greatest art collections, and finds time for the Royal Palace, one of Europe’s largest with almost 3,500 rooms, many of which are open to the public.
Michael also enjoys an Ecuadorian feast in the bohemian neighbourhood of Malasana, and a fantastic seafood lunch, grilled fresh over charcoal, in a little-known suburb.
In between the hustle and bustle, Michael finds time to relax in the inner-city oasis that is El Retiro Park, once exclusive to the king and royal court.
Finally, he squeezes in a visit to the flat where he stayed as a boy in the years after the Spanish Civil War, before his family upped sticks and left Spain to settle in England.