©2020 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Many European cities are filled with unique architecture and artwork.
Segovia is one of them.
There are cathedrals, castles, aqueducts, statues…you name it. A walk around the city is most certainly entertaining especially if you are an architecture aficionado.
When I first arrived in Segovia, I marveled at the beautiful aqueduct that sprawls across the main square, but knowing that there was much to explore, I headed deep into the city. Aiming for the city’s center, the Plaza Mayor, there was, however, a building that caught my attention, along the way.
Casa de los Picos.
The House of the Spikes.
A short walk from the famed aqueduct, I found myself on Calle Juan Bravo standing in front of a building with a most unique facade!
Built during the end of the fifteenth century in the Renaissance style, its first owner was Pedro Lopez de Ayala, the Count of Fuensalida. Left to his son, Pedro, upon his death, the house was then sold to Juan de la Hoz, a Segovian councilman. After the acquisition, de la Hoz began the transformation that made the facade what you see today.
There are 360 granite, spike-like blocks which cover the facade forming pyramid-shaped reliefs…a type of style that was common during the middle ages. As I studied the building, I was convinced that it was a fortress of some kind but learned that although it mostly operated as a residence, it changed ownership over the years many times and finally transferred to the Ministry of Education in the 1970’s. Today, it functions as a museum and exhibition center and is part of the School of the Applied Arts and Crafts.
Even if it is not a fortress, I thought it interesting to find that the house once belonged to the executioner of the city and that legend states that under one of the peaks, a treasure is hidden! I would have loved to hang around and take a look, but it was not open at the time!
Opening hours are extremely limited and although there is not much to see unless exhibitions are being held, it might be interesting to see the patio which is considered to be the highlight of the structure. Built in the Renaissance style, it is a small space with porticos on three sides with five limestone columns, three at its midpoint and two at small angles and decorated with Talavera tiles that depict the most important monuments of Segovia.
Even if you do not have much time while in Segovia to actually visit the interior, make sure that your path through the city leads you in front of this unparalleled house of spikes!
Check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe for more pictures.
Casa de los Picos
- http://easdsegovia.com/
- Address: Calle Juan Bravo, 33, 40001 Segovia, Spain
- Hours: April 1 to September 30, 1200-1400 and 1900-2100, daily. October 1 to March 31, 1200-1400 and 1800-2000, daily.
- Admission: free