The church

Madrid’s Hidden Gem: Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

The big news at The Making of Madrid is that there’s a new podcast in the works. When the project was conceived, the very first person I wanted to interview was historian Caroline Fish – not only because she was about to leave for the States but also because she’s such an engaging speaker. A …

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Five Things You Didn’t Know About Madrid

From Islamic origins to saintly bones, to mind blowing miracles, here are a few surprising things you didn’t know about Madrid. Its name derives from Arabic Top of our list of things you didn’t know about Spain’s capital is that its name derives from Arabic. The settlement was chosen for its strategic position high above …

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Cerro de los Ángeles, Spain’s Ground Cerro

  Nobody knows quite why Philip II moved the royal court to Madrid back in the 16th century, but one credible theory is that its location, right at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, made it the perfect spot to rule from. Only, if this was his true motivation, he was ever so slightly off. …

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