Quick answer: on Gran Vía the secrets are up on the roofs and in the little streets behind it. Look for the bronze man carrying a house at Gran Vía, 60, the Edificio España rooftop, and, in the Triball, the street tiles of Calle de la Abada (a rhinoceros that ran loose in the 16th century) and Calle del Desengaño (a veiled lady with a mummified face).
Gran Vía is the Broadway of Madrid: lights, theatres, Zara on steroids. Everybody walks it looking at the shop windows. Madrileños know the best stories are up, on the roofs, and behind it, in the Triball, where the street tiles tell horror stories.
Gran Vía secrets: look up
Edificio España: from abandoned to the hottest rooftop in town
It opened in 1953: 117 metres and 25 floors, and for a while the tallest concrete building in Europe, with a rooftop pool for the most elegant people in Madrid. Then, years empty and forgotten. Today it’s a hotel with one of the best views of the city.
- Where: Plaza de España
- Metro: Plaza de España (L3, L10)
- Tip: go up at sunset; queues at weekends
- Your Spanish: resurgir de sus cenizas = to rise from the ashes
El Romano: the naked bronze man carrying a house on Gran Vía 60
At Gran Vía, 60, look up. A naked bronze man, wearing only a cape, holds a little house on his head. People call him el Romano, el Coloso or el Atlante. Victorio Macho made him in 1930. Legend says that every 21 March the last ray of sun goes through the little house.
—Finally, a man who carries the mental load —says la Vikinga.
—Y encima ahorra. Ese es para casarse —dice Puri. (And he saves money. That one is for marrying.)
- Where: Gran Vía, 60
- Metro: Santo Domingo (L2)
- Your Spanish: llevar la casa a cuestas = to carry everything on your back
Calle de la Abada: the rhinoceros that ran loose in Madrid
On the street tile there’s a rhino, next to Gran Vía. In the 16th century some Portuguese men brought an abada (the old word for rhinoceros) and charged money to see it. Influencers of the 1580s. A bakery boy gave it a bun straight out of the oven; it was too hot, and the animal went crazy. Legend says that after it escaped it ran through the centre until it was hunted down.
- Where: Calle de la Abada
- Metro: Callao or Sol
- Your Spanish: liarla parda = to make a huge mess
Calle del Desengaño: the legend of the veiled lady
Two gentlemen were fighting a duel for a young lady when a veiled woman ran past. They lifted her veil, and underneath there was a mummified face. Both shouted “¡Qué desengaño!” (What a disappointment!). The scene is on the street tile, almost 500 years later.
- Where: Calle del Desengaño, Triball
- Metro: Gran Vía (L1, L5)
- Your Spanish: llevarse un chasco = to be disappointed
Calle de la Ballesta: from wild boar to the Triball
The name comes from a German hunter who charged people to shoot crossbows (ballestas) at chained animals, until a wounded wild boar killed him. For years the street had a bad reputation; today it’s new shops and cafés. The poet Rosalía de Castro lived at number 13.
- Where: Calle de la Ballesta
- Metro: Gran Vía or Callao
Free PDF · No-Guiris Madrid · download it now
Want all 30 secrets, with la Vikinga and Puri, where to eat in every barrio and the Spanish you need at each stop?
A drink with history on Gran Vía
Museo Chicote (Gran Vía, 12) has been open since 1931. Ava Gardner sat at that bar. Order a Bloody Mary and sit like you own Madrid. The full Ava Gardner route is a bonus in the free guide.
Spanish you’ll need: shopping on Gran Vía
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, ¿tenéis esta camiseta en azul? | Hello, do you have this T-shirt in blue? |
| Sí. ¿Qué talla quieres? | Yes. What size would you like? |
| La mediana. ¿Puedo probármela? | Medium. Can I try it on? |
| Sí, los probadores están al fondo. | Yes, the fitting rooms are at the back. |
| Gracias. ¿Cuánto cuesta? | Thank you. How much is it? |
Where do these stories come from?
I’m writing a novel about a copywriter who walks around Madrid when she can’t sleep, when a man leaves her, or when a deadline is eating her alive. Two voices walk with her: la Vikinga, who speaks English and has no filter, and Puri, who speaks Spanish and is shocked by everything. Every secret on this page is one of her walks.
The novel is Una felación al día (yes, that’s the title, and yes, it’s a novel, not self-help): a copywriter in Madrid, love, desire, friends and a mystery, all in Spanglish. When it goes on sale, this Madrid guide will come with it as an extra. For now, it’s free: download it directly from this page.
📖 Read the first chapter of Una felación al día for free. And if you’re learning Spanish, my book How to Speak Spanish with a Narco, a Philosopher and a Real Human is the next step after the guide.
More secret Madrid, barrio by barrio
- Secret Madrid: 30 Hidden Places and the Legends Behind Them
- Madrid de los Austrias: Secrets and Legends Near Sol
- La Latina, Madrid: Hidden Walls, Secret Gardens and the Best Tapas Street
- Lavapiés and Tirso de Molina: Corralas, a Severed Head and a 1916 Cinema
- Malasaña Legends: the Fish on Calle del Pez, Manuela’s Scissors and the Missing Number 109
- Chueca Secrets: Saint Valentine’s Bones and the House of the Seven Chimneys
- Retiro and Calle de Alcalá Secrets: the Fallen Angel, the Two-Faced Gate and Tonnes of Gold
- Chamberí and Beyond: the Ghost Metro Station, Sorolla’s House and a Mine Under Madrid
FAQ
Who is the statue on top of Gran Vía 60?
A bronze figure by Victorio Macho (1930), known as el Romano, el Coloso or el Atlante, carrying a small house on his head.
Why is there a rhinoceros on Calle de la Abada?
“Abada” is an old Spanish word for rhinoceros. Legend says a rhino was exhibited there in the 16th century and escaped.
What does Calle del Desengaño mean?
“Desengaño” means disappointment. A legend says two duelling gentlemen discovered a mummified face under a lady’s veil and shouted “¡Qué desengaño!”.
What is the Triball in Madrid?
The area behind Gran Vía formed by Calle del Desengaño, Calle de la Ballesta and Corredera Baja, now full of independent shops and cafés.
— Monica Bernabe Perez