SPAIN 2027: EXTREMADURA LAND OF CONQUISTADORS

Includes a $2,500 non-refundable deposit due at initial inquiry

Single or Shared room: $13,500 per person
*Hotel nights included are March 10 - March 19; The night of March 10 is the first room night included in your registration fee. The tour will begin on the afternoon of March 11, and the final group activity will be dinner on March 19, this is the last night included in your registration fee. 

This tour begins in Madrid and ends in Madrid.

Madrid is our arrival and departure city for exploring Extremadura, one of Spain’s most historic, beautiful and often overlooked regions. During our first two days we have very privileged visits to some of Madrid’s most important monuments by special arrangement beginning with the magnificent treasure filled Liria Palace, seat of The Dukes of Alba where we are welcomed by a family member and the director for a private visit before our welcome drinks party. Dinner follows at the palace of the Marquises of Santa Cruz where we are received by the present Marquis, a career diplomat and former head of the Spanish National Trust, and his charming wife. The following day we visit two extraordinary buildings, The Casa del Labrador, a neoclassical palace in Aranjuez and the Monastery of las Descalzas Reales (Royal Barefoot Nuns). Joanna of Austria founded the monastery in 1559 which attracted widowed and spinster noblewomen who brought great treasures as their dowry making this one of the richest convents in all of Europe. The Renaissance composer, Tomas Luis de Victoria, was resident here from 1587 until his death in 1611.

On day three we have a short drive to Extremadura and Spain’s first UNESCO World Heritage city, Cáceres, the medieval walled Old Town with its collection of Roman, Moorish, Gothic and Renaissance architecture that is our base for six nights. Our timing should be perfect for the incredible sight made by two million cherry trees that bloom in Extremadura in early Spring, one of Europe’s great natural displays. From our comfortable lodgings at the five-star Palacio de Godoy, we visit the charming towns and monuments of the region including Trujillo with its palaces, churches, and Moorish castle, Merida, with its Roman ruins and amphitheater, and Plasencia, a town so beautifully preserved one feels transported to earlier centuries. Historically, the Extremadura region was birthplace to many of the conquistadors who figured prominently in the Spanish conquests of the Americas during the Age of Exploration. While the cultural exchanges affecting language, religion and social structures are evident in both Europe and the Americas, the suppression and near extinction of indigenous populations and their cultural traditions was a consequence of the conquistadors’ colonization.  

Your Host will be Tom Savage, Colonial Williamsburg’s Director of Educational Travel and Conferences and Sofia Barrosa, President of Around Art Spain

Registration Deadline

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