
Photo: Hamish Bowles1/9A view of the gardens at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about an hour outside of Madrid's city center.
Photo: Hamish Bowles2/9Another view over the gardens of El Escorial.
Photo: Courtesy of Museo Nacional del Prado3/9The recently restored Annunciation and Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden by Fra Angelico, c. 1425–26. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado.
Photo: Hamish Bowles4/9Several of Jan Taminiau's intricate couture gowns were on display at his Madrid apartment.
Photo: Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.5/9A 1830 rendering of the interior of La Scala in Milan is among the items on display in Opera: Passion, Power, and Politics at CaixaForum Madrid.
Photo: Hamish Bowles6/9Inside the lavish Italian Embassy.
Photo: Hamish Bowles7/9The Vienna Symphony Orchestra takes its bows at the Auditorio Nacional de Música.
Photo: Hamish Bowles8/9Yours truly, surrounded by students from Spain's Condé Nast College.
Photo: Hamish Bowles9/9At Restaurante Casa Salvador, with its charming checked tablecloths and rousing imagery of matadors.