Palacio del Infante Don Luis de Borbón
I am María Teresa de Vallabriga y Rozas, wife of the Infante of Spain Don Luis Antonio de Borbón Farnesio, I married my husband in a morganatic marriage because my brother-in-law King Carlos III was afraid that his brother's children and not his own would occupy the throne of Spain. To marry, we had to give up many things; we had to leave the Court, where neither I nor my children were allowed to go; we had to marry alone, without members of the royal family to witness our union; we had to renounce all honors and distinctions, the Borbón name, and live more than 20 leagues from the Court. Thus, after we were married, we began a pilgrimage through different places that were farther and farther away from Madrid. Cadalso de los Vidrios, Velada, and finally here, in Arenas de San Pedro, where my husband wanted to build a house worthy of our life and our condition. But I found life in the palace monotonous and boring. Getting up, getting dressed, having breakfast, going to mass, and then dedicating myself to the work that is proper to women in the home: raising the children, paying special attention to their education and domestic economy, taking charge of the management of the servants. At the Court for women, everything was charitable and educational activities, social life, and events. But here... my hobbies were relegated to walks on foot or on horseback, reading, embroidery, ornamental knowledge, music, and a discreet family life. The get-togethers and especially the musical evenings were our usual pastimes since thanks to my husband's patronage we had our own orchestra with great musicians. I enjoyed the visits of family and friends who stayed with us for weeks or months and kept us informed of what was going on in society, although it was also a constant reminder of our situation, being exiled from the Court. In this room, you can enjoy a recreation of how our rooms and communicators were in the years we lived here. Despite all the suffering, I have always had fond memories of Arenas de San Pedro and the years I lived there, where I could enjoy the simple life, raising my children, music, art, and nature.