One of the most important cultural events in Madrid in recent years was the public opening, just before the pandemic, of a collection that had been sitting behind the closed doors of a private palace for about 200 years. The Palacio de Liria, the grand 18th-century home of the Alba family — among Spain’s (and Europe’s) oldest and most storied aristocratic families — is set in a tranquil garden just steps from the bustling Plaza de España in central Madrid. Often compared to the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace of Madrid for the masterpieces it contains and the noble residents who lived there, the house is filled with works by Titian, Rubens, Velázquez, Goya and other artists favored by the Spanish court. There are also vast literary and historic archives, as well as letters written from the Americas by the explorers Columbus, Pizarro and Cortés. Here is a tour of those three sumptuous palaces, along with a stop in the small town of Alba de Tormes.

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Persons: Titian, Rubens, Velázquez, Goya, Columbus, Pizarro, Cortés, Carlos Fitz, James Stuart, Alba de Tormes Organizations: Liria, Prado Museum, Casa de Alba Foundation, las, Palacio de Monterrey Locations: Madrid, Alba, Americas, Seville, Salamanca