Archive for 'Architectural Gems in Spain'

Picasso is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous artists that Spain and the world has ever produced and, while he lived in various places and is celebrated in different cities around the globe, his hometown is a must-see for those who are major fans of his work. Just find a vacation rental in Málaga and come discover the beautiful city that birthed one of the great masters of 20th century art, not to mention one of the finest collections of his work in the world in the Museo Picasso of Málaga. For an excellent overview of Picasso’s oeuvre, this little gem is a must!

Inaugurated by the King and Queen of Spain on the 27th of October 2003, after 50 whole years of planning, the museum is made up of a collection of more than 200 works that were donated and loaned to the museum by Christine Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picasso’s eldest son) and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (Picasso's grandson). It is housed in the painstakingly restored and carefully adjusted Renaissance gem, Palacio de Buenavista, in the heart of the historic core of the city, not far from the Alcazaba Fortress and Gibralfaro Castle.

If you are interested in the arts and have found a vacation rental in Barcelona, you won’t be short of cultural things to see and do from museums and galleries to explore to concerts to listen to and plays to watch to performances to attend. If you want your culture served with a side of an incredible architectural gem then there is an obvious destination to be sure to visit while in the city; the Palau de la Música Catalana.

This historic beauty is a wonderful and integral cultural institution in the city that is still a vibrant centre for music, dance, and other performance and has a busy schedule of events that take place right throughout the year. A visit ensures a wonderful evening of both incredible art and architecture, combining the stunning setting with some sort of performance. One can simply take a guided tour of the architectural gem but, in our opinion, you should try and see a performance in the auditorium as that is when it shines the most.

Villajoyosa, or La Vila Joiosa, is a picture-perfect seaside city, often simply known as “La Vila” to locals, in the Province of Alicante in Spain. With the most idyllic of beaches – picture fluffy white crescents of sand meeting crystal clear cerulean water – and a town populated by pretty little streets lined in a veritable rainbow of crayon-box-coloured buildings, there is no doubt that it has all of the visual appeal that one could hope for from a town on the Mediterranean Sea. However, there is also plenty to see and do. If you have found a vacation rental in Valencia and you’re looking for somewhere to spend the day, you could not even dream of more perfect place to do so.

Literally meaning “joyful town”, Villajoyosa is a pretty extraordinary spot along the famous Costa Blanca that boasts 3km of beaches, including La Platja Centre, right by the city centre. It is also famous for its chocolate industry and tourism and has an exceptionally pretty Old Town, all of which amounts to plenty of reasons to be joyful and joyful experiences for visitors who find themselves in the city.

Córdoba is a quaint town that is a must-see and perfect day trip destination for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Andalusia and is looking for something extra special. It is one of those utterly picturesque places that feel as though one is in an entirely different world; all lush vegetation, great open piazzas, big old bridges, flowers tumbling over cast iron balconies, little winding streets lined by cast iron lamps, Moorish architectural influences, great fountains and water features, a medieval core, and more modern parts of the city. However, amongst all the lovely restaurants, places to wander with loved ones and take in your lovely surroundings, pretty views, cute shops, and much more to see and do besides, the most famous and important attraction, by far, has to be the Mezquita-Catedral, or the Great Mosque of Córdoba.

The UNESCO-awarded Great Mosque is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time that Spain was part of Islamic-ruled Al-Andalus – the Muslim Iberia that included Spain, Portugal, and a small part of Southern France and which existed up until the late 8th century – and is the city's most famous building. It is thought to have been built on the site of a former temple to the Roman god Janus and it was later made into a church by the Visigoths who took the city in 572 before being rebuilt and converted into a mosque by the Umayyads, who were an exiled Islamic dynasty who had once ruled in present-day Syria.

If you have found a vacation rental in Madrid, then a visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid is really an absolute must. The palace is one of the city's most famous, important and extraordinary landmarks and attractions and is an exquisite gem that really needs to be seen with one's own eyes. Still the official residence of the Spanish royal family, though not actually their home, it housed the Kings of Spain from Charles III to Alfonso XIII and was an important site for a large chunk of Spanish history. In addition, it is quite the looker and, all in all, shouldn't be missed if it is your first time in the city!

The site can be traced back to when the islamic ruler Emir Mohamed I chose it as the place to build a fortress to protect Toledo from the advancing Christians. Then this fortress was used by the Kings of Castille and eventually became the Antiguo Alcázar (Old Fortress) in the 14th century. Under Charles I and his son Philip II it was made a permanent residence for the Spanish royal family. In 1734, the Palace of Los Austrias was burned to the ground and a new palace was commissioned under Philip V according to designs by Filippo Juvara. When Juvara suddenly passed away, his pupil Juan Bautista Sachetti took over the project. Charles III was the first Spanish king to occupy the new building and the decorative details and schemes from frescoes to clocks to chandeliers to chairs were added by subsequent kings to create the magnificent building that exists today.