inspira la naturaleza para expresar la contradicción entre vida y muerte, aire y suelo, cielo y tierra...”. Acorde con ese espíritu se sitúa la cerámista Natalia Espinosa, en cuyo taller en la galería Perro de Loza se aprende sobre las posibilidades de la arcilla. Tampoco se entendería el cosmopolitismo que irradia la Floresta sin la cantidad de extranjeros que tras las guerras mundiales hallaron refugio en este rincón del mundo. La húngara Olga Fisch, por ejemplo, proveniente de la Bauhaus alemana, se transformó en una gran folklorista y en promoto- ra de la cultura indígena ecuatoriana , de ahí que su tienda de artesanía Olga Fisch Folklore sea un referente. Comida estacional y tributo a la carne Pero a La Floresta también se viene a comer bien. Un viaje gastronómico de altos vuelos es lo que ofrece Urko (Mallorca 449 y Avda. Coruña), considerado entre los 50 best discovery restaurants, donde al entrar el comensal recibe un pasapor- te con el que viajará por Ecuador a través de su productos, sabores y memoria. Su creador, Daniel Maldonado, es una voz autorizada: “Urko es un restaurante de comida estacional, cada tres meses hay un menú nuevo y el anterior no vuelve más. Creemos en los ciclos naturales que han sido parte de la vida de nuestros ancestros”. También en el barrio destaca el reciente y emocionante restaurante Clara (Isabel La Católica N 24-274), imbatible en cuanto calidad-precio y que hace tres meses ganó el premio American Express One To Watch 2024, como parte de LatAm- 50Best, un lugar cosmopolita en la sala, en la carta y en la coci- na, con una madrileña, Ana Lobato, un quiteño Felipe Salas, y un portugués, Ángel De Sousa, al mando. Por supuesto un imprescindible del barrio es Tributo (Isa- bela Catolica N24-54), donde el chef Luis Maldonado desplie- ga toda su pasión por la carne en un restaurante “de aprove- chamiento” donde “se rinde tributo a la vaca (Holstein) y no se cocina con amor, sino con conciencia”. A nadie que lo prueba le extraña que haya alcanzado el puesto 33 en la lista de los mejores restaurantes de carne del mundo. ENG The distinctive geography of Quito gives each of its neighbourhoods its own unique character. The city is 2850 metres above sea level and surrounded by volcanoes. La Floresta, a district that extends northeastwards over a long hill, is one of the most distinctive and, without doubt, the most artistic. Firstly, because of its marked heritage in terms of architecture and urban planning and, secondly, because of its cultural activity. The colourful, tree-lined streets adorned with graffiti are home to the most creative of people. Its mid-20th century vil- las are interspersed with restaurants, design studios, artists’ workshops and local businesses. Community is everything in La Floresta because life takes place in the streets, which are mostly residential and embellished by the presence of native trees such as the arupo, whose pink blossom is always a pleasure to behold. An example of a creative community Amira Pérez Aragón is the coordinator of the organisation for the Cultural Development of La Floresta, which promotes art, culture and the revitalisation of the local economy by supporting entrepreneurs. ‘We are designers and artists from La Floresta; through our self-management we map more than 70 neighbourhood establishments; we promote art workshops, shops, creative and culinary venues. We strength- en the sense of neighbourhood identity and the importance of the community by supporting our natural, architectural and urban heritage. We are living heritage’. A good example is Betero, a shop specialising in Mole- skine-style notebooks and notepads with covers designed by Quito-based artists such as Alberto Montt and Belén Mena; also the vinyl shop LAVA Records, the creative bakery and cookery school PaneCu or Paccari, the shop selling the world’s most award-winning chocolate. As well as two pro- jects that share the same location: Cuckobox, a handmade toy shop, and Malali, a ceramics specialist. A city of intense blue The muralist Mo Vásquez has been living on the top floor of a block with great views for nine years: ‘I’m extremely fond of this neighbourhood, it’s the place where I started painting; my work celebrates the natural wealth of Ecuador and the colour blue stands out above all others because for me Quito is a blue city thanks to of the intensity of its skies’. But the place that best represents the spirit of La Floresta is, without doubt, the Ocho y medio cinema, instantly rec- ognisable thanks to the colourful mural by the artist Ana Fernández. As well as being one of the last neighbourhood cinemas in South America, it is also a meeting point and a platform for exhibitions and debate. Founded almost two decades ago by local producer Mariana Andrade, its excellent programme and café have made it a haven for intellectuals and independent creativity. Another regular at La Floresta is the artist Paula Barragán, who trained in New York, where she specialised in engraving and worked with the great Gaetano Pesce and the American textile artist Sheila Hicks. Today she is Ecuador’s most interna- tionally recognised visual artist and is very aware of her Ande- an identity. Working with the photographer Pablo Cuvi on his books about the popular festivals and traditional foods of Ecua- dor made a great impression on me. I am inspired by nature to express the contradiction between life and death, air and soil, heaven and earth...’. In keeping with this spirit is the ceramicist Natalia Espinosa, in whose workshop in the Perro de Loza gal- lery one can learn about the possibilities of clay. Nor would it be possible to understand the cosmopolitan- ism that radiates from La Floresta without the large number of foreigners who, after the world wars, found refuge in this corner of the world. The story of the Hungarian Olga Fisch, who came from the German Bauhaus, is that she became a great folklorist and promoter of Ecuadorian indigenous cul- ture, and her craft shop Olga Fisch Folklore is still a point of reference. Seasonal food and a tribute to meat But La Floresta is also a place to come and eat well. A high-fly- ing culinary journey is on offer at Urko (Mallorca 449 and Avda. Coruña), considered one of the 50 best discovery restau- rants, and where on entering diners receive a passport for a journey via Ecuador through its products, flavours and mem- ories. Its creator, Daniel Maldonado, is an authority on the subject: ‘Urko is a restaurant that serves seasonal food, every three months there’s a new menu and the previous one never returns. We believe in the natural cycles that have been part of the lives of our ancestors’. Also in the neighbourhood, the recently launched, excit- ing Clara restaurant (Isabel La Católica N 24-274) stands out. Unbeatable in terms of value for money, three months ago it won the American Express One To Watch 2024 award, as part of LatAm50Best, a cosmopolitan place in the dining room, on the menu and in the kitchen, with a Madrilenian, Ana Lobato, a Quiteño Felipe Salas, and Ángel de Sousa, from Portugal, at the helm. Of course, an essential in the neighbourhood is Trib- uto (Isabela Catolica N24-54), where chef Luis Maldona- do displays all his passion for meat in a restaurant ‘where everything is used’ and ‘tribute is paid to the (Holstein) cow and cooking is done not with love, but with a conscience’. No one who has tried it is surprised that it has reached 33rd place in the list of the best meat restaurants in the world. Daniel Maldonado y Andrés de la Torre de Urko. // Daniel Maldonado and Andrés de la Torre from Urko.