Open to the public as a study centre with interesting activities, a library and a shop, this palace was one of the three properties of this type that the powerful Manuel Godoy, a favourite of King Carlos IV, managed to accumulate in Madrid.
Although he did live here and the palace bears his name, the truth is that it wasn't built expressly for Godoy but as a residence for the First Secretary of State, the Marquess of Grimaldi. The work was commissioned to the great Francesco Sabatini, and the palace's golden era was, of course, when Godoy was living his luxurious and eventful life there.
In 1807, when Godoy acquired the Palacio de Buenavista, it became the headquarters of the Council of the Admiral and, later, of the Royal Library, and of the various secretaries of State, before it became declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1962. Be sure to gaze at the staircase, the building's most characteristic, grandiose and distinctive feature, which made quite a bold statement at a time (the 18th century) when this element had little importance in Madrid homes.