Page 276 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

274  M ADRID

Street-by-Street: Old Madrid

Stretching from the charming Plaza de la
Villa to the busy Puerta del Sol, the compact 4. Plaza Mayor
This beautiful
heart of Old Madrid is steeped in history 17th-century square
and full of interesting sights. Trials by the competes with the
Inquisition (see p278) and executions were Puerta del Sol as the
once held in the Plaza Mayor. This porticoed focus of Old Madrid.
The arcades at the
square is Old Madrid’s finest piece of archi­ base of the three-
tecture, a legacy of the Habsburgs (see pp64– storey buildings are
5). Other buildings of note are the Colegiata filled with cafés and
de San Isidro and the Palacio de Santa Cruz. craft shops.
For a more relaxing way of enjoy ing Old
Madrid, sit in one of the area’s numerous E S
cafés or browse among the stalls of the O R
Mercado de San Miguel. D
A
D
R
The Mercado de San Miguel is O
housed in a 19th-century building B
with wrought-iron columns. The
market has several excellent places
to stop for a snack.
PLAZA
COMMANDANTE
C A L L E M AY O R MORENAS
P LAZ A
D E L A
To Palacio
Real VILL A
O
N R
Ó T
D S
R O
O R
C N
O
Old Town Hall U Ñ S
(ayuntamiento) P O
R
E
Casa de Cisneros L L
I
H
C C A L L E D E T O L E D O
Arco de C U
Cuchilleros
3. Plaza de la Villa
The 15th-century Torre de los
Lujanes is the oldest of several
historic buildings standing on
this square.
The Basílica Pontificia
de San Miguel is an
imposing 18th-century
0 metres 100 church with a beautiful
façade and a graceful
0 yards 100
interior. It is one of very
few churches in Spain
inspired by the Italian
Baroque style.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp568–9 and pp591–3

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.5)
Date 6th February2013
Size 125mm x 217mm