Real Sitio de San Ildefonso had been designated World Heritage in the Man and the Biophere Programme in 2013 by UNESCO.
This municipality in Segovia has developed manifold cultural offers and proposes a myriad of possibilities for visitors. The art and history lovers will love La Granja and Riofrío Palaces and Real Fábrica de Cristales. Montes de Valsaín will also grant the amusement for sport lovers due to its exceptional environment that is also an example of administration and sustainability in the use of natural resources. It holds as well the renowned International Dance and Music Festival Noches Mágicas de La Granja, besides other activities, such as concerts, theatre, exhibitions…
In here, one of the places with more tourist attraction in Castilla y León is located: Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso. It is one of the places of residence for the Spanish royal family, located in the northern part of sierra de Guadarrama, 13 kilometers away from Segovia, and 80 from Madrid. It is open to the public and Patrimonio Nacional is in charge of its managing.
Philip V created Real Sitio as a personal artwork in order to retire, which he did in 1724 —but he had to rule again because his son Louis I died in August of the same year—. From that moment, it was established as his favorite palace and dwelt there in summer, using it as such until the reign of Alphonse XIII. Philip V chose a farm that the Order of Saint Jerome owned to build his palace and he decided to buy it in 1720. The Castilian kings already used pine forests in Segovia for hunting purposes y had several palaces built in that area, and Charles V and Philip II rebuilt one of them after being destroyed by a fire in 1683.
Teodoro Ardemans was in charge of the construction of the palace of Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso and René Carlier, of the garden. The typical Spanish style of the former completely opposed the French style of the latter, whose designer was a disciple of Louis XIV’s architect. The construction was done so quickly that at the beginning of 1724 it was almost already finished. Nevertheless, when Philip V was ruling again, he ordered the expansion of the palace and gardens to the Roman architect Andrea Procaccini and they moved in the palace in 1724.
The main feature of the building is the royal chapel, also known as Colegiata, built by Ardemans and redecorated by Francisco Sabatini during the reign of Charles III. Next to it, the royal pantheon is located, where Charles V and his second wife, Isabel de Farnesio, lie. Despite the destructive fire that took place in 1918, the palace maintains almost all of the fresco decorations dated from the reign of Philip V, being the bedroom the most important of all, decorated with designs of Juvarra and paintings of Panini.
But the garden was just as important for Philip V. He invested great effort in the fountains —of great interest in Europe— for its width and how well-preserved the original hydraulics system is, as well as for the sculptural decoration made by French artists. La Granja is the central example of a formal garden of French inspiration with an exquisite sculptural decoration.
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