This article belongs to the series “Interviews & Areas of Madrid”. In it we give voice to its residents, Spanish or foreign, recently moved or with many years of experience in the neighborhood. From their personal experience and their recommendations, we will approach each area with the intention of facilitating the decision-making process on which area you will feel more comfortable when moving to Madrid.
Isotta Peira, an Italian who has been living in Madrid since 2013, tells us about La Latina, one of the most sought-after central neighborhoods. Isotta is co-founder and Cooking Coach of Eatsperience Madrid where she offers a wide variety of culinary services.
She is also founder of Sustainable Kitchen Brigade whose goal is to combine home cooking with the need to preserve the environment and sustainability.
Getting to know Isotta and La Latina
Why did you move to Madrid? What do you do now in the city?
I came here because I was hired by an online travel agency that has offices in Madrid, but in 2018 I set up my business and have been giving online cooking classes for companies working remotely (team building) and private groups (virtual birthdays, etc).
Why did you choose La Latina?
I live in the Centro district, La Latina neighborhood – I decided to come here because it’s a neighborhood I’ve always loved! I like that it’s a micro cosmos, I have everything in the neighborhood without having to go out. And I really like its history that can still be seen in its buildings, old stores and legends.
What can you do on foot?
Everything! I have everything I need close by: stores, museums, cinemas, theaters, parks, restaurants… I can literally do everything on foot.
Do you use public transportation? Or private car?
If I have to go farther I use the metro, the bus, and the electric bicycles of the community of Madrid. Living in a central neighborhood and working from home, I don’t need a car. I have a driver’s license, but if we stay in the city we don’t need a private car. Sometimes we rent a car if we travel away for the weekend.
Shopping in the neighborhood What are your favorite stores?
Fruit and vegetables: the fruit and vegetable store on Calle Maldonadas (delicious and cheap) or the Hnos. Hernández store in the Mercado de la Cebada.
Meat: Manolo’s butcher shop in Galería la Paloma (Calle Toledo 109).
Cheeses: Quesos Ricos La Paloma, at Galería la Paloma.
Bulk ingredients: Granel in Embajadores street.
As supermarkets, Lidl and Carrefour in Tirso de Molina square. Lidl is cheaper but Carrefour usually has more varieties of products, local and foreign.
In Toledo street there is a great copyshop for copies and prints, it is the copyshop Trucco. It is run by a family, parents, son and daughter, they are all very nice and very available, and have very cheap prices.
Leisure in the neighborhood: restaurants, bars
La Latina is the neighborhood of leisure! There are millions of great and diverse bars and restaurants. I love La Bobia for Asturian food, Nina Pasta Bar for Italian fusion Española, and La Cabra en el Tejado is great for drinks and simple, delicious and cheap homemade dishes. For good drinks or vermouth, in Calle Santa Ana and Plaza de la Paja there is plenty of choice! Occasionally, in the morning on the weekend we go to Plaza Cascorro for breakfast or brunch at Mamúa, L’Adoré or Martina Cocina.
In the Mercado de la Cebada there are also many delicious bars and restaurants!
What about culture in the area? Theaters, cinemas, museums
The most emblematic theater is undoubtedly the La Latina theater. For new movies in the original language we go to the Ideal cinema, while in the Sala Equis there are dubbed movies and you can also have a drink or eat in the room downstairs, which is a bar with sofas and beach chairs!
La Latina for me is an open air museum, just walking around the neighborhood you can learn a lot about the history of Madrid. A very nice free museum is the one in San Isidro.
Tell us something about sports…
I don’t practice specific sports, I prefer walking. For those who like to go to the gym, they are now building a municipal gym in front of the metro exit, where the Mercado de la Cebada is also located.
What is your favorite green area?
A 15-minute walk away, at the end of Toledo street, you reach my favorite park: Madrid Rio.
Something you would like to add
If you like real artisanal Italian ice cream, you have to go to Mercado de la Cebada and look for Gelato Lab ice cream parlor: the best in Madrid! The owner, Christian, is a very friendly Italian guy who only works with fresh seasonal ingredients, and can explain the whole process of making gelato.
The Rastro Market, which is held on Sundays, is very famous, but less people know about the Rastro de Santa Ana: an alternative and very nice market that, before the Covid, was held every first Saturday of the month. I want to point it out in case in the future, hopefully, it will be resumed.
And, finally, a summary of the type of housing that can be found in La Latina
La Latina is an area that belongs to the Centro District and is located in the Lavapiés-Embajadores neighborhood.
Currently, there is an offer of around 400 properties for rent with an average price of around 20€/sq m.
All of the properties offered are flats. 75% of them are 1 and 2 bedrooms’. though there is a large offer of houses (around 27%). There are also studios (15%), and 3 and +4 bedrooms (10%).
Of these, 8% are rented with a garage, 10% have a terrace and 1% a swimming pool.
With this table you can easily see the range of prices and the type of property with the greatest offer:
- These percentages and prices refer to an approximate average of the supply we have observed in recent years. The supply of available housing for rent in La Latina varies from day to day. The more demanded the area, the more dynamic the market is.
Does La Latina convince you? Do you think it would be a good choice for you?
If you are planning to move to Madrid soon, you’ll find all the relevant information in The secret of relocating to Madrid. If, in addition, you need help with the organization or even if you prefer that we accompany you, check out our services.
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