Parque del Oeste - and Goya's Ermita frescoes Travel Guide

The Parque del Oeste stretches northwest from the Plaza de España, following the railway tracks of Príncipe Pío up to the suburbs of Moncloa and Ciudad Universitaria. On its south side, five minutes' walk from the square, is the Templo de Debod (April-Sept Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 6-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2pm; Oct-March Tues-Fri 9.45am-1.45pm & 4.15-6.15pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2pm; €1.80, free on Wed & Sun), a fourth-century BC Egyptian temple given to Spain in recognition of the work done by Spanish engineers on the Aswan High Dam (which inundated its original site). Reconstructed here stone by stone, it seems comically incongruous but provides a good concert venue nonetheless. In summer, there are numerous terrazas in the park, while, year-round, a teleférico (April-Sept daily 11am-2.30pm & 4.30pm-dusk; Oct-March Sat, Sun & holidays noon-2.30pm & 4.30pm-dusk; €2.60 single, €3.60 return; Métro: Argüelles/Ventura Rodríguez) shuttles its passengers high over the river from Paseo del Pintor Rosales to the middle of the Casa de Campo, where there's a bar/restaurant with pleasant views back towards the city.

Rail lines from commuter towns to the north of Madrid terminate at the Príncipe Pío (Estación del Norte), a quietly spectacular construction of white enamel, steel and glass which enjoyed a starring role in Warren Beatty's film Reds . About 300m from the station along the Paseo de la Florida is the Casa Mingo (see "Restaurants"), an institution for chicken and cider take-outs for the Casa de Campo, and, almost alongside it, at Glorieta de la Florida 5, the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida (Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 4-8pm, closed afternoons July 13-23; Sat & Sun 10am-2pm; €1.80, free on Wed & Sun; Métro: Príncipe Pío). If you can, go on Saturdays, when there are guided tours in English three times a day. This little church on a Greek cross plan was built by an Italian, Felipe Fontana, between 1792 and 1798, and decorated by Goya , whose frescoes are the only reason to visit. In the dome is a depiction of a miracle performed by St Anthony of Padua. Around it, heavenly bodies of angels and cherubs hold back curtains to reveal the main scene: the saint resurrecting a dead man to give evidence in favour of a prisoner falsely accused of murder (the saint's father). Beyond this central group, Goya created a gallery of highly realist characters - their models were court and society figures - while for a lesser fresco of the angels adoring the Trinity in the apse, he took prostitutes as his models. The ermita also houses the artist's mausoleum.