El Retiro Park
Sprawling royal garden with a boating lake, rose gardens, and a fountain honoring a fallen devil.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to El Retiro Park in Madrid centers on the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, tucked in a quiet corner of the royal garden, and the sculptor Ricardo Bellver, who cast it in Rome in the 1870s from a scene in Milton's Paradise Lost. You'll hear how a plaster study became a bronze centerpiece unveiled by Queen Maria Christina, and why Madrileños still call this spot the gateway to hell. Best visited on a quiet afternoon, away from the boating lake crowds.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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