Palacio de Soñanes, 18th-century palace and hotel in Villacarriedo, Spain.
Palacio de Soñanes is a baroque palace in Villacarriedo, set in the rural landscape of northern Spain, that now operates as a hotel. The three-story building has a quadrangular layout with Corinthian columns, ornate facades, and wrought iron balconies running across several levels.
Construction began in 1719 when Juan Antonio Díaz de Arce commissioned the work and chose to incorporate an existing medieval tower into the new structure. This decision reflects a common practice in Cantabria, where older buildings were often folded into grander projects of the 1700s.
The eastern facade carries a large family coat of arms with lions, cherubs, and sea creatures that display the founder's wealth and origins. Looking closely at these carvings gives a sense of how noble families in the early 1700s used stone to communicate their status.
The palace is in a rural setting outside the town center, so having your own vehicle makes the visit much easier. Arriving with time to walk around the exterior is worthwhile, as the facades reward a slow and close look.
Although the palace looks like a single coherent baroque structure, part of its outer walls actually encloses a much older medieval tower that was absorbed during construction. This hidden core is almost invisible from the outside, making it a small architectural secret for attentive visitors.
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