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Franco had his principal residence at EL PARDO , a former royal hunting ground, 9km northwest of central Madrid. A garrison still remains at the town - where most of the Generalismo's staff were based - but the stigma of the place has lessened over the years, and it is now a popular excursion for madrilenos , who come here for long lunches in the terraza restaurants, or to play tennis or swim at one of the nearby sports centres. The tourist focus is the Palacio del Pardo (April-Sept Mon-Sat 10.30am-6pm, Sun 9.30am-1.30pm; Oct-March Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-1.30pm; closed occasionally for official visits; guided tours ?4.80, free Wed for EU citizens), rebuilt by the Bourbons on the site of a hunting lodge of Carlos V. The interior is pleasant enough, with its chapel and theatre, a portrait of Isabel la Catolica by her court painter Juan de Flandes, and an excellent collection of tapestries, many after the Goya cartoons in the Prado. Guides detail the uses Franco made of the palacio , but pass over some of his stranger habits. He kept by his bed, for instance, the mummified hand of Santa Teresa of Avila. Tickets to the palace are also valid for the Casita del Principe (closed for refurbishment), though this cannot be entered from the gardens and you will need to return to the main road. Like the casitas (pavilions) at El Escorial, this was built by Juan de Villanueva, and is highly ornate. You can reach El Pardo by local bus (every fifteen minutes until midnight from the bus terminal at Metro Moncloa), or by any city taxi .
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