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SPAIN | Segovia, Spain Travel Guide
Friday, April 19, 2024
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Palacio de La Granja de San Ildefonso
Palacio de La Granja de San Ildefonso
The Palacio de La Granja de San Ildefonso, nine km (5.4 miles) south of Segovia at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains, is immense and immaculate and a shade more appealing than Spain’s other royal summer retreats. That is to say, it is feminine where El Escorial west of Madrid is pure testosterone. Construction on the palace was begun in 1721 by order of King Felipe V, the first of the French Bourbons to rule in Spain. It is no secret that he found Felipe II’s summer retreat in San Lorenzo downright despicable and preferred his homeland to that of Spain. So he built the palace and modeled it after Versailles, stomping grounds of his father King Louis XIV. It emerged as an attractive blend of Spanish Baroque and French Neoclassical styles, surrounded by the most exceptional royal gardens to be enjoyed in Spain (the design of a Frenchman, no doubt). The interior – that which is accessible – is one vast display of ornate furniture and antiques from the period, along with a sizable collection of 17th-century Flemish paintings. A museum displays elaborate Flemish tapestries, and lots of them.
The palace was badly damaged by fire in 1918, but you wouldn’t know it today and the gardens... well, they’re the highlight. Trails lead to trails to trails to trails, all banked by immaculately trimmed hedges, colorful flower beds, pools and fountains (there are 26 of the latter). In the springtime, each Wed., Sat. and Sun. at 5:30 pm, the fountains come to life in a fabulous display of light and water.
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