El Capricho Park in Alameda de Osuna

It was created in the late 18th century by the Countess-Duchess of Benavente. This park is one of the most outstanding and unique examples of the landscape garden in Spain. It is a setting replete with romanticism, combining Italian and French influences. Visitors can delight in a winding artificial river with a lake and island, the jetty and the reed-covered boathouse known as the Casa de Cañas, the temple to Bacchus, the Casa de la Vieja house, the small fort, the shrine and El Abejero, an unusual pavilion created to observe the activity of bees. The small palace, the exquisite work of Antonio and Martín López Aguado, at one time housed numerous paintings by Goya. Spring is a particularly good time to visit, when your stroll will be accompanied by the perfume from the groves of lilacs and the cascading roses.