The Palace of the Marquises of Santa Cruz, National Monument since 1931, was built between 1564 and 1586 by order of Álvaro de Bazán, first Marquis of Santa Cruz and Admiral of the Navy, who, due to his long stays in Italy and influenced by the tastes of the time, hired a select group of Italian artists for the work of these 8,000 square meters. Its location, in full Mancha, responds to the desire of the admiral to fix his residence in a strategic point equidistant from the court of Madrid and the bases of their squads in Cadiz, Cartagena and Lisbon. The appearance of this great house does not show the magnificence and artistic wealth that it keeps inside. The main door is fo…