REAL FABRICA DE TAPICES MADRID

Not a museum, this factory hums with the sounds of men and women making and repairing carpets and tapestries. The methods have changed little, if at all, over the centuries since the van der Goten family were brought here from Flanders in the 18th century by Felipe V. The 200-yearold looms are still anchored by massive tree trunks to keep the tapestry taut, and woollen threads are still spun by hand, carefully mixed with silk to create some 3,000 subtly different shades.

Many of the tapestries are still based on cartoons by the famous Spanish painters of the day, including Goya  The time and effort required to complete a tapestry is astonishing: one square meter takes five months and costs over €9,000. Visitors tend to 'ooh' and 'aah' as they stare at workers who are using medieval skills in a medieval setting.