The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
The area of Embajadores is a barrios in transition. Down-at-heel at the bottom of Calle de Embajadores, gentrifying as you rise up to Plaza de Cascorro - graffiti giving way to street art, hipster barber shops and artisanal bakeries. The Fabrica De Tabacos closed in 2000, after more than two hundred years as Madrid’s main [...]
Favoured by Madrilenos for its cool summer climate, Segovia is situated on a ridge at an elevation of over 1000 metres, giving it amazing views over the Castilian countryside. Boasting an astounding 800 metre-long Roman aqueduct dating from AD 120, the old town and aqueduct were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Astonishingly, [...]
Running down to Atocha station, C/ Santa Isabel is one of Madrid’s most ‘castizo’ of streets. Absent of tourists but possessing cool markets and bars, Madrid’s most hip cinema, an historic convent and a world-famous art gallery - it’s easy to see why. Mercado San Anton - for gourmet and regular groceries The Cine Dore [...]
Each year Patrimonio Nacional set out the 300 year old nativity scene in the Palacio Real, created for the young Prince of Asturias (future Charles IV) by his father, the popular Charles III. Consisting of several hundred figures made from terracotta or wood it’s a fascinating sight to commence the festive season. Merry Christmas from [...]
By 1930, failure of the Spanish economy, governmental corruption and a military coup favouring a republic, led to the resignation of the ‘mild dictator’; Miguel Primo de Rivera, who died shortly after in exile. The subsequent 1931 general election returned a left-wing republican government and Spain experienced an all-too-brief period of democracy. Strident in its [...]