Barrio de La Latina (Madrid)

La Latina occupies the place of the oldest area in Madrid, the Islamic citadel inside the city walls, with narrow streets and large squares.

There are very typical buildings with large and numerous windows that sometimes constitute narrow wrought iron balconies, slightly protruding eaves with Arabic tiled roofing and coloured mortar façade.

Similar to the rest of Madrid, the integration of new buildings is present, sometimes breaking the cityscape with their ten stories and exposed brick.

[2] Currently the city's draft amendment of the la Cebada market and attached sports facilities,[3] has been stalled due to financial problems facing the town hall.

In the seventeenth century, merchants coming from different areas around Madrid to sell in the market stayed in inns, taverns and hostelries on these streets.

These facilities grew in quality and services creating a leisure shopping framework tailored to these visitors with fresh money and little social control.

Only some of these lodges and the entire orientation to leisure dining and tavern activities, among which include the Casa Lucio, La Soleá and many other traditional establishments in Madrid of maximum relevance of its kind, are still preserved.

On the other side, La Latina borders with Plaza Mayor and overlaps with the ancient part of the town, El Madrid de los Austrias, where the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is located.