Spaniards Favor Town of Chinchon

MADRID — A favorite weekend escape for the citizens of Madrid is the town of Chinchon, 28 miles southeast of the Spanish capital

Amid centuries-old architecture and an Old World atmosphere, life in Chinchon revolves around the main plaza. Once the locale of livestock fairs, today the plaza is the site of plays, concerts, festivals and even bullfights.

The town’s 16th-Century church, a mixture of Gothic, Plateresque and Renaissance styles, holds a magnificent treasure: the painting of the Assumption of the Virgin by Goya, whose brother once served as the parish priest.

There are historical buildings and monuments to explore, including the Baroque monastery of the Madres Clarisas and the 11th-Century hermitage of San Antonio.

Chinchon is also known for its liqueur, a type of anisette, that has been distilled here for centuries. Known simply as Chinchon, it has a delicate licorice flavor.