5 little-known sites of historic Aranjuez (apart from the Royal Palace)

We all have in mind the Aranjuez's concert and riot, we know that the Catholic kings They chose this place, between the Tajo and Jarama rivers, as a place to Real rest in spring, that its environment has been recognized by the UNESCO as Heritage or that some of the best wines in the Region of Madrid They are raised in two wineries in the municipality.

But what is surprising when you arrive at Aranjuez is that, even if it is a Royal Site, typical of aristocratic heights, the pulse of the popular is evident in its streets, squares and markets, in the benches and tree-lined walks.

Aranjuez It is very alive in its commerce, in the immigration it receives, in the young university students who are seen and in the cultural promotion, both in the Joaquin Rodrigo Auditorium and the Isabel de Farnese Cultural Center.

Nothing better than a walk through five of its historical places less known to verify it.

1.- Garages of the Queen Mother Isabel de Farnesio

The building, built by Ferdinand VI in 1758 for his stepmother's stables Elizabeth of Farnese, preserves the aristocratic façade, restored, symmetrical and of a magnificent scale.

But inside we find the modernity appropriateness of the cultural center to such an environment. A porcelain and red cat welcomes us from above.

We reached it walking along the promenade Captain Street, wooded, shaded against the harsh summer heat, because in Aranjuez, as its people say, it is always two or three degrees warmer than in Madrid, and that is a lot of degrees.

2.- Plaza de la Constitución in Aranjuez

In the square, a statue of Alfonso XII remembers the episodes of the cholera epidemic that Spain experienced at the beginning of the 19th century; At that time, the monarch improvised a hospital to treat the infected.

Fortunately, cholera remained in history and a statue to remember. Nowadays the Plaza de la Constitución in Aranjuez It houses two key buildings in the daily life of the population: the Town hall and Market.

Several bars have their chairs in the square as terraces; People go out to take in the fresh air and a murmur of conversation rises from the tables that are shared.

Meanwhile, carts and shopping baskets head to the Supply Markets, a building from the end of the 19th century that today, inside, offers fishmongers, fruit shops and chicken shops, but also the daily rhythm of the municipality.

 3.- Aranjuez train station

The second railway line built on the Peninsula was the one that linked Madrid with Aranjuez, back in 1851. Its main objective was not so much passengers, but rather the garden products that had to reach the capital, and it was known as the Strawberry Train.

A recreation still circulates with its wooden carriages and hostesses dressed in period costumes, but it is only a nostalgia for the enjoyment of tourists and hikers who want to spend a day in Aranjuez.

Currently the station does not see those historic trains depart, but it does see the busy commuter trains or the eTA.

And although it is not the original station of the line, which was in the Plaza de Armas of the Royal Palace, it is worth stopping for a moment to enjoy the station's wooden coffered ceiling and the movement of passengers coming and going.

4.- Osuna Palace in Aranjuez

Among the latests Moravia's compositions streets of the Queen and the Príncipe, near to Royal Palace of Aranjuez, we found a surprise: the Osuna Palace, former residence of Farinelli, One castrate most famous and handsome.

He stayed here while he was an advisor to Philip V and, as strange as it may seem due to his physiological condition, there he enjoyed the desire of many women of high society because as they were right when comparing, let's say, the sexual enthusiasm with other lovers, that of the latter “he expires too quickly, while Farinelli keeps him until the end”.

The building undoubtedly saw better times, but today, at least, it houses the restaurant The Difference, where, if it's time, you can enjoy the famous Aranjuez strawberries.

5.- Pavia Barracks

There are areas that pass away to a better life or use. This is what happens to Pavia Barracks, former place of weapons of different armies. Currently it lives more useful days, harboring within itself the Felipe II Center for Higher Studies, teaching center attached to the Complutense University of Madrid.

In its cloister the military echoes of yesteryear no longer resonate; Today the rumors of the students, whose only battle is during the final exams, sound better.

The center breathes vitality into the municipality. It is already known that students meet in a good bar or cafeteria and that culture is like an oil spill: the drop falls on the Pavia Barracks, but spreads and dilutes throughout the municipality.

*This post José Alejandro Adamuz It is your final project of the summer course The new travel communication: blogs and tourism 2.0 in Spain, organized by Travel Inspirers in collaboration with the Rey Juan Carlos I University of Madrid, and held in Aranjuez in July 2013.