CHINCHÓN , 45km southeast of Madrid, is an elegant little town, with a fifteenth-century castle and a fine Plaza Mayor, next to which stands the Iglesia de la Asunción , with a panel by Goya of The Assumption of the Virgin . It is as the home of anís , however, that the town is best known; your best bet for a sample of the local spirit is one of the local bars or the Alcoholera de Chinchón, a shop on the Plaza Mayor. Most visitors come for a tasting and then eat out at one of the town's traditional mesones : try the Mesón del Comendador , one of a cluster of good restaurants serving classic Castilian fare on the Plaza Mayor, or the Mesón del Duende - both are modestly priced. More expensive is the Méson Cuevas del Vino , an old olive oil mill which today has its own bodega (wine cellar). If you fancy an overnight stay you could splash out on the Parador de Chinchón (tel 918 940 836, fax 918 940 908, chinchon@parador.es ; ¬90-120) which has been established in the former Augustinian monastery just off the Plaza Mayor. A more modest option is the pleasant Hostal Chinchón (tel 918 935 398, fax 918 940 108; ¬36-48), also close to the Plaza Mayor in c/José Antonio.

 

If you're visiting over Easter, you'll be treated to the townsfolk's own enactment of the Passion of Christ , though be aware that the small town becomes packed with visitors at this time. In April 1995 the town launched its Fiesta del Anís y del Vino , an orgy of anís and wine tasting; understandably it was an immediate success and is now held every mid-April. An older annual tradition takes place on July 25, when the feast of St James ( Santiago in Spanish) is celebrated with a bullfight in the Plaza Mayor.