‘El Parnasillo’ is more than just an old tavern, like those others, filled with the aromas of pipe tobacco, eccentric characters, and mysteries bordering on the supernatural, and located in the darkest alleys of ports like Antwerp, which the writer Jean Ray often chose as the ideal setting for his novels: it is a time capsule, which also connects us with Madrid's fabulous Literary Quarter and with the crème de la crème of generations of Spanish writers who found inspiration in its historic interiors.
In fact, its name bears an unmistakable reference to Miguel de Cervantes and one of his works, possibly less well-known than the extraordinary adventures of the knight Don Quixote, but no less extraordinary, both in creativity and content: ‘Journey to Parnassus’.
Located on Príncipe Street—a reference to the figure of the firstborn son of the English King Edward III, Edward of Woodstock, popularly known as "the Black Prince," perhaps due to his possible interest in magic and esotericism—and perpendicular to the popular Calle de las Huertas, its location places it just a few meters from that old building, on the ground floor of which another of Madrid's traditional establishments, "Casa Alberto," continues to be a landmark.
On the upper floors, tradition places the place where the Muse appeared to Cervantes to "dictate" to him, precisely, that aforementioned work, "Journey to Parnassus." Facing the Santoña Palace, which, since the early years of the 20th century, has served as the headquarters of the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services of Madrid, its striking façade welcomes the figures of some of the greatest literary figures of all time. Curiously, among them is the central figure of Oscar Wilde, who, paradoxically, never walked through these neighborhoods and may even have never visited Spain.
But the most significant aspect, this unusual marvel that leaves sensorial memories of times long gone, is, without a doubt, an interior that still preserves most of its original decoration, including the marvelous ceiling paintings, which combine mythology and literary inspiration and currently coexist with modern panoramic screens and joyful St. Patrick's Day celebrations, as it is currently one of the many Irish pubs that proliferate in the area.
Which doesn't mean, of course, that it doesn't enjoy a colorful atmosphere, where, amid the aromas of whiskey added to the typical Irish coffee and the endless rounds of pints of beer, you can see, at the same tables that once housed great Spanish writers such as Benito Pérez Galdós and Ramón María del Valle Inclán, poets and bohemians, among whom there are also tarot readers who develop their esoteric knowledge amid the din of music and the clamor of sporting events.
In short: one of those "magical" places in Central Madrid, a must-see and a place to have a good time, in what could well be described as an atypical dimension.
NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my copyright.
