N 601, going southeast from Segovia into the Sierra de Guadarrama, comes in 11km/7mi to the little town of San Ildefonso (alt. 1,040m/ 3,412ft), a favorite resort of the people of Madrid, particularly at weekends. The town, beautifully situated at the foot of the massive peak of Peñalara, grew up around a monastic grange (granja) and hospice. In
the early 18th century Philip V chose San Ildefonso, with its good air, as the site of a palace modeled on Louis XIV's Versailles which was built between 1721 and 1739.