The Casa Siret is an ancient and beautiful cortijo near Las Herrerías, Cuevas del Almanzora. It’s main claim to fame is that it was the residence of Luis Siret, the famous engineer turned amateur archaeologist who discovered the local Bronze Age El Argar civilisation at the turn of the last century.
It now belongs to Cuevas town. In 2004, Cuevas council and Dicomano council (in Italy) signed an agreement to setup an art school using the Casa as its base. A chap was contracted to run the school and he moved into the Casa apartments.
As happens around here, politicians lost interest and the art school never got off the ground. But the bloke, from Oviedo, liked the 600 square metre house with gardens and stayed there.
Attempts to evict him came to naught, although nobody really tried.
He lived there quite happily, without bothering to pay for water and electricity.
Anyway, the new council decided it wanted him out and finally took him to court to get the bailiffs in. The court decided for the council, and so the squatter decided it would be best to leave peacefully before the cops came.
The keys have been returned, and this historic building again sits empty.