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"Casa niña Maria" is situated in the hub of a cultural and touristic circle.
The Monastery of El Escorial is only 10 Kms away
www.fuenterrebollo.com /Sala-Reyes/escorial.html. It's a
magnificent and massive building designed by the architect Juan Bautista de
Toledo (a pupil of Michelangelo) and by Juan de Herrera.
Further on stands the impressive cross rising from the rocks of the Valley of the Fallen
www.vki2.net/visita_virtual_valle.htm and adjacent to the basilica
carved out of the rock face.
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is 40 kms. from the Hotel and offers the
visitor its excellent museums- El Prado, Von Thyssen, Princess Sofia,
etc,its typical taverns with a countless selection of delicious "tapas", its
unique night life and the attractive contrast between the long, wide avenues
and the nearby narrow and elegant streets built in the period of the dynasty
of the Austrias.
It is said of Madrid, and you can confirm this personally,
that everybody is welcome and made to feel at home.
Segovia www.segoviayprovincia.com, which is
on the river Eresma, is also 40 Kms from the hotel, and is famous for its
Roman aqueduct, 800 metres long and 30 metres high, situated right in the
centre of the town. It also has the Alcazar www.alcazardesegovia.com , residence of the Catholic kings, the
cathedral built in the XVI century as well as several churches of the
Romanic style.
Half way between "Casa niña Maria" and Segovia is the Royal Palace of the
Granja of Saint Ildefonso www.patrimonionacional.es, which is well worth a
visit, with lovely gardens of French design and elaborate fountains. Nearby
is the Palace of Riofrio, www.patrimonionacional.es/riofrio/riofrio.htm, which was the summer
residence of the Spanish royal family from the year 1724 when Philip the 5th first went there.
Avila www.avilamonumental.com, birth place of Saint Theresa, is
situated 60 Kms from Casa Niña Maria. This town is well known for its unique
city walls, built in 1090 and still in perfect condition.
It has been declared by UNESCO Patrimony of Humanity.
70 Kms. to the South we find Toledo www.cyberspain.com, located on the
river Tagus and the town where El Greco www.spainselecta.com, painter to the court of King
Phillip the II, lived most of his life and left some of his most famous
works.
Toledo was one of the most important cities in Europe during the XII and
XIII centuries. Sciences and arts flourished at the highest levels thanks to
the mixture of cultures, Christian, Jewish and Arab. The influence of these
groups is still evident in the styles of architecture of the many historic
buildings, quarters and monuments to be appreciated in the city.
Not far from Toledo, about 25 Kms. stands the Royal Palace of Aranjuez
www.patrimonionacional.es/aranj/aranjuez.htm, designed by the same
architects who built the El Escorial, also under the reign of King Phillip
the II.
The wealth and variety of its gardens and fountains, which were
improved and enlarged along the XVIII century, has made of the Royal Sitio
of Aranjuez a magic and enchanting paradise. Don Quijote de la Mancha, in his travels across
the dry and arid surrounding area couldn't dream about the existence of such
a place, a place which inspired the maestro Albeniz to write the famous
"Concert of Aranjuez" www.epdlp.com/clasica.php?id=480.
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