On a clear day, you can see a huge, pale cross emerging from the backdrop of the mountains north of Madrid. This is the Valle de los Caídos, Franco’s enormous monument to the fallen of the Civil War, which became his tomb and is still a surprisingly popular day trip for los nostálgicos, the name for those who whisper that things were better in the old days. Close by is the little town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial where another megalomaniac ruler, Felipe II, ordered the construction of the vast palace-monastery of El Escorial, burial place of a dozen Spanish monarchs. The town is rather more cheerful than the palace which has brought it fame, and it’s a favourite weekend destination for Madrileños who come to enjoy the restaurants and the cool mountain air. It’s also a good base for walkers who want to explore the beautiful mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama. Regular buses (every 20 mins, less at weekends) with Herranz from Moncloa bus station to the central bus station in San Lorenzo. One bus daily leaves from El Escorial for Valle de los Caídos at 1515, returns at 1730. Regular trains from Atocha to San Lorenzo de El Escorial take 1 hour. It is then a delightful 2-km walk from the station to the monastery, or you can take the local shuttle bus. Palacio Real de San Lorenzo de El Escorial T 91 890 59 02/3/4, http://www.patrimonionacional.es Apr-Sep Tue-Sun 1000-1800, Oct-Nov Tue-Sun 1000-1700. €5.95, €6.90 including guided visit/concessions €5. Audioguide in English €1.80. Cloakroom €1. Café and shop. Felipe II’s vast palace-monastery looms above the mountain town of El Escorial, 42 km northwest of Madrid. The king threw himself into his pet project with such fanatical devotion that poor Madrid, his brand new capital, was completely ignored. Building began under Juan Bautista de Toledo in 1563 and was continued by Juan de Herrera. The last stone of the massive complex – monastery, palace, pantheon and library – was finally laid under the king’s watchful gaze in 1584. Few admit to liking it but no one can fail to be impressed by the staggering proportions. The tour begins at the Bourbon apartments. El Escorial was far too depressing for the frivolous Bourbons, who spent little time here, but their apartments contain some beautiful tapestries by Goya. Beneath these rooms, two museums are housed in the cellars: the Museo de Pintura, with works by Veronese, Titian, Van Dyck, Rubens, Van der Weyden and Ribera among others; and the Museo de Arquitectura, which shows the original plans for the monastery along with some of the equipment used for hauling the huge hunks of granite. The Habsburg apartments are unexpectedly intimate, prettily decorated with blue-and-white tiles. You can see the specially designed chair in which gout-ridden Felipe II was carried by his long-suffering servants, who had to put up with the stench of their master’s gouty leg as well as his manic eccentricities, and the bed in which he died in 1598, carefully placed so that he could hear mass from the basilica directly below. When Felipe died, he was buried in the Panteón de los Reyes (Royal Pantheon), where a dozen Spanish monarchs are buried in a flurry of gold and marble. Next to the pantheon is the Rotting Room (sealed off, thankfully), where the bodies of dead monarchs are left to rot and dry out before being placed in the pantheon. The Salas Capitulares (Chapter Halls) contain more of El Escorial’s enormous art collection, gathered underneath elaborately painted 16th-century ceilings. The Basilica is the very heart of the complex, repressively dark, cold and gloomy. It contains 43 altars so that several masses could be held simultaneously; just two chapels, at the back, were for commoners. Casita del Príncipe and Casita del Infante Casita del Príncipe has guided tours Apr-Sep Sat, Sun and public holidays 1000-1300 and 1600-1830. Must be booked in advance on T 91 890 59 02/03. €3.45. Casita del Infante is open Holy Week and Jul-Sep Tue-Sun 1000-1845. €3. These are two small palaces downhill towards El Escorial town, both pretty Bourbon extravagances: the Casita del Príncipe, surrounded by lush gardens, and the delightfully frivolous Casita del Infante. Valle de los Caídos Apr-Sep Tue-Sun 0930-1900, Oct-Mar daily 1000-1800. €5, free on Wed to EU passport holders. Franco’s tomb and monument to the fallen (or caídos) of the Civil War was begun in 1940, using Republican prisoners as labourers. The setting, a craggy mountain valley with endless views, is beautiful, but the monument itself is pompous, overblown and brutally ugly. The vast basilica is built into the rock and topped with an outsized cross (supposedly the largest in the world). Franco is buried by the altar, and the monument has become a focal point for the bizarre rally held on the anniversary of his death, on 20 November.
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Madrid - £5.99
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