Ein Sommer in Salamanca

The German public channel ZDF premiered the latest in its series of made-for-television films with the theme of summertime set in beautiful cities last week – previous settings include Paris, Amsterdam and Prague – and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Salamanca made a glorious backdrop for the romantic comedy Ein Sommer in Salamanca.

The film crew was a familiar sight around the pre-Celtic city’s largely 16th century old town in June 2018 as filming took place literally on my doorstep. The latest instalment in a series of films on the same theme set in 30 different locations stretching back to 2009, the film tells the charming story of sisters Rike (played by German actress Susan Hoecke) and Nicola (Austrian actress Patricia Aulitzky) who arrive in the city to meet Spanish leading man Fernando Corral before starting work as volunteers (one of them very reluctantly) restoring a wayfarer’s lodge in order to reopen an old natural well to provide refreshment for thirsty pilgrims walking the route of the Camino de Santiago, which passes through the province and its capital.

Culture shocks, changing destinies and of course romantic complications lie ahead, and all are played out in and around the city and surrounding countryside.

A Summer in Salamanca

As well as being released in German, Ein Sommer in Salamanca has also been dubbed into Spanish and is available on YouTube as Un Verano en Salamanca, where the first five minutes at least are well worth watching, even if your Castellano is a little rusty, for glimpses of the splendour of Salamanca – the city which features as an overnight stay on the wine tours of La Ruta de Don Federico appears in frequent scenes throughout.

I hope to see you all in Salamanca one summer very soon — who knows where the path of destiny may lead you?

The full film (88 minutes) is available in Spanish here. 

Film clip and stills courtesy of ZDF.