The haunting Casa de Pilatos, which is still occupied by the ducal Medinaceli family, is one of the city’s most glorious mansions. It’s a mixture of Mudéjar, Gothic and Renaissance styles, with some beautiful tilework and artesonados (ceilings of interlaced beams with decorative insertions). The overall effect is like a poor man’s Alcázar.
The staircase to the upper floor has the most magnificent tiles in the building, and a great golden artesonado dome above. Visits to the upper floor, still partly inhabited by the Medinacelis, are guided. Of interest are several centuries’ worth of Medinaceli portraits and a small Goya bullfighting painting.
