Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste

Despite having the whole world at his disposal, Charles I of Spain and V of Germany chose the district of La Vera in Cáceres as his place of retirement. Weak and in ill health, he set off determinedly from Brussels on a taxing journey lasting several months to die in this small Hieronymite monastery built in the early fifteenth century. The sober and austere architecture of its church and its two Gothic and Renaissance cloisters did not disappoint the emperor.

But Yuste is more than just a monastery. Its Royal Apartments were built according to the king's instructions. Beneath the windows is the orchard, with a large pond that was used for irrigation and for fishing by the retired monarch. Patrimonio Nacional recently set up a lookout point here for visitors to view in all its splendour the balcony where the king appeared each morning to be greeted.

The Monastery of Yuste has been a setting for TV series such as ‘Carlos, Rey Emperador’ and programmes like ‘MasterChef’.