Madrid - Don't Miss
The further you err off the beaten track in Madrid, the more you'll be rewarded. Yet more artistic delights are tucked away waiting for those eager enough to seek them out.
Take time out from the bustle of central Madrid to visit the artistic treasure trove of the Descalzas Reales Monastery. Go back to school with the likes of Goya, Dalí and Picasso, taking in their former seat of education at the Museum of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Arts, a veritable mini Prado. Continue on the Goya trail at the giant domed San Francisco El Grande Basilica, and try to work out the message behind the great artist's frescoes at the San Antonio de la Florida Hermitage – also his final resting place.
They might have been two of the greatest artists of the 20th century, but Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí hardly excelled academically. At the San Fernando Royal Academy of Arts, Picasso lasted barely a term in 1896-7 while Dalí was expelled on two occasions for basically being cocky.
