The Allegory of the Town of Madrid is not one of Goya‘s best paintings. Classical in style, there’s little to hint at the innovative verve of his later Black Paintings, nor any reflection of the tenderness of his earlier portraits of working-class Madrileños. But, if you know a little bit about its history, this canvas …
Dominating Cibeles, the Banco de España, with its imposing wrought iron doorways and gorgeous masonry, is one of Madrid’s most impressive buildings. But, being home to the country’s huge gold reserves, visits inside are strictly supervised and incredibly scarce. For most of us mere mortals, the only opportunity to penetrate this behemoth comes once a …
Though Madrid’s museums are wonderful places all year round, they’re particularly tempting in summer when the temperatures outside soar. Air-conditioned refuges from the unrelenting heat. However, one museum in particular is guaranteed to deliver a shiver right down your spine, not just because of its artificially chilled air, but because its rows of antique cabinets …
General Miaja is worried. Though the heavy bombardment by German planes has stopped, Franco’s troops are on his doorstep. Banners floating above the battered city streets defiantly declare “No Pasarán!”. But right now, at the beginning of 1937, the head of Madrid’s Defence Council admits to himself that they might just get through. If he …
Tucked away in the heart of the city, Cava Baja is renowned for its boutique hotels and posh restaurants. But 100 years ago the ambiance was very different. A busy hub for traffic going in and out of the city via the Puente de Segovia, the street was filled with stagecoaches travelling to and from …
In central Madrid little remains of the city’s medieval past. Very soon after Philip II moved the court to the town in the 16th century, its walls were knocked down and remade to accommodate a larger populace, while all over, new buildings went up with scant regard for what had been there before. While tiny …
While Madrid lacks the architectural flamboyancy of Barcelona, or the long history of cities like Cordoba or Granada, the capital does have its own distinctive style. A certain something that suddenly strikes you when you turn a corner on a street lit up by the setting sun. While it’s impossible to sum up exactly what …
Dear readers, The Making of Madrid has been going for more than two years now and over this time I’ve accumulated a vast store of fascinating factoids and intriguing anecdotes about my adoptive city. Keen to share this information with others, I decided to do a few one-off tours and found the experience so enjoyable that …
The traditional Spanish garden with its gravel pathways and rigid lines of dusty hedges initially struck me as rather austere when I first moved here. That’s probably because I was used to the vibrant green abundance of English gardens, with their chaotic profusion of blossoms and wide velvety lawns. Now, having lived more than six …
Property speculation is a swindle as old as the notion of capitalism itself and, judging by the wave of evictions sweeping the city, not going out of style any time soon. But if you think the behaviour of the banks and investment funds these days is outrageous, then get a load of what went down …