El edificio y los jardines

This building is a great example of the neoclassical tendencies of Spain in the last third of the 18th century in masonry and granite. It is a rectangular building, 3 stories high, symmetrical and articulated around two courtyards with fountains. It is flanked on both sides by towers of Escorial influence. In its central part, there is a monumental portico, similar to a triumphal arch, which could be accessed by carriages. The portico rests on pillars with attached Doric columns and is crowned by a terrace where we are, surrounded by a granite balustrade designed by Domingo Thomás as a garden in height. To the west, it borders the Casa de Oficios, also by Ventura Rodríguez and inspired by his project for the Casa de Correos in Madrid. The upper floor was for the servants and was divided into thirteen apartments around a courtyard with a fountain and a trough, while the lower floor was used as stables. It also had a basement that was used to store provisions and furniture. The gardens are in front of the side façade of the palace. They were planted with "broderie" beds around more elaborate circular fountains, such as the Dolphin Fountain, which still has its base and basin attached to the surrounding wall. These gardens, under the care of Juan Sánchez Espina, were far from the concept of a botanical garden, being more similar to the ornamental gardens of Versailles, Aranjuez, or La Granja. He had tulips brought from Holland and Aranjuez, which were distributed with simple designs. The pheasantry, aviary, zoo, and orchard were located north of the gardens. The prince designed a zoo inspired by his brother Carlos' Casa de las Fieras in Naples. It included horses, cows, goats, Angola rabbits, peacocks, geese, bears, badgers and wild boars. The orchard had fruit trees, vines, olive trees... to satisfy the needs of the palace. It also had a pond for irrigation and to feed the fountains of the gardens.