Royal Palace of Riofrío

RIOFRÍO, THE MOST ROMAN OF SPANISH PALACE

The origin of this palatial complex can be found in the lands of the Riofrío forest and grassland that King Philip V bought in 1724. When he died, his widow, Elisabeth Farnese, ordered the construction of her own manor there, so she could give her son, Prince Luis, a palace in the countryside to retire in.

With this wish, she expanded the complex by acquiring adjacent land and, being of Italian origin, she commissioned the design of the palace to architect Virgilio Ravaglio. However, the early death of this artist in 1753 forced her to rely on other architects. The result: a building of simple and elegant lines with architecture inspired by Italian taste, making it the most Roman of all Spanish palaces.

Following an idea parallel to the one Philip V and Elizabeth Farnese had brought to life in the nearby Royal Palace of La Granja, the plan was to create a whole complex by building auxiliary buildings such as rooms for official business, stables, a church and a theatre. However, the accession to the throne of the first-born son of Elisabeth Farnese, Charles III, meant that his mother once again played a prominent role at court and did not come to live at this Royal Site.

Riofrío was left empty for over a hundred years. It has only been inhabited on two occasions: by the king consort Francisco de Asis, when he decorated it in the mid-19th century, and by King Alfonso XII, to mourn the death of his first wife, Queen María de las Mercedes, in 1878.

OPENING OF THE PALACE TO THE PUBLIC

In the 1960s, in line with Patrimonio Nacional's policy of opening up the Royal Sites to the public, the Riofrío Palace underwent a major modification. It was decided at that time to divide the main floor into two large areas: one recreated a romantic palace known as the Alfonsino Museum and the other housed the so-called Hunting Museum, which is the reason for the current layout of the Palace.

Thanks to the programme for the historical restoration, enrichment and updating of the Royal Sites for the purpose of public visits, as set out in the 2013-2016 National Heritage Action Plan, the Halls of the Royal Palace of Riofrío have recovered, as much as possible, the decoration and use they had in the 19th century.

The number of pieces of art in the halls was increased with the addition of more than 500 works of art from other Royal Sites. The reform also allowed the recovery of the function that had been lost over the previous decades of several spaces such as the Billiard Room; the Dining Room service room, with its original dumbwaiter; the Bedroom of Francis of Assisi and the Chapel, where besides recovering the altar that was hidden, an interesting series of 149 paintings showing events from the life of Christ was rehung.

The furniture was meticulously crafted by cabinetmakers out of fine woods, with Venetian-style mirrors, French porcelain, gilded clocks, and large curtains to embellish the sumptuous rooms of this virtually-unknown palace which is at the same time so welcoming and full of light and life.

IDYLLIC SURROUNDINGS

The Palace is surrounded by the Riofrío Forest, a natural area of extraordinary ecological value. It is located nine kilometres from Segovia and fifteen from San Ildefonso, the municipal district to which it belongs, although it is between the towns of Madrona, Hontoria, Revenga, Navas de Riofrío and La Losa.

In this important ecological and biological reserve, of 640 hectares, you can see holm oaks, thickets, willows, poplars and shrub species such as thyme, rosemary and lavender.

There is considerable diversity of fauna of the Riofrío Forest and, besides prominent species such as the Griffon Vulture and the Black Vulture, more than 50 bird species have been spotted. It is also inhabited by numerous species of mammal: common deer, fallow deer, rabbits, foxes... In total there are 102 species of animals catalogued!

If you want to know more about the Riofrío Forest and its ecological trails, you can find more information here.