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We know many of our visitors have had to postpone their trips to Madrid.\u00a0Soon we\u2019ll be back to normal, but during this period we would like to invite everyone who is staying home to take part in a number of virtual activities organised by the museums and cultural institutions along the Paseo del Arte (Art Walk).<\/strong><\/a> So when you do finally come to Madrid, you\u2019ll be even more eager to see it!<\/p>\n Heading from north to south, as it were, our virtual tour begins in the\u00a0National Library,<\/strong><\/a> located in Paseo de Recoletos. For years an enormous effort has been made to digitise its holdings, which you can peruse via the Digital Periodical and Newspaper Library<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Hispanic Digital Library<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> You\u2019ll find surprising collections like Ephemera<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(cut-outs, cinema tickets, menus, etc.) or\u00a0Gastronomy<\/strong><\/a>, which is of particular interest now that the confinement imposed on so many parts of the world has left us with time to cook. Housed in the same building, but in the part located along Calle Serrano, is the National Archaeological Museum.<\/strong><\/a> In addition to a virtual tour of every room in the museum, its website offers 3D views of thirty of its Greek vases<\/strong><\/a>. The\u00a0Virtual Classroom<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0its extremely comprehensive YouTube channel<\/strong><\/a>, where all of the recorded lectures are available, are also among the virtual tour\u2019s most interesting options.<\/p>\n The other side of Paseo de Recoletos is home to the Mapfre Foundation<\/strong><\/a> and its Espacio Mir\u00f3<\/strong><\/a>, which is also a virtual space<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>that allows us to use our screens to walk through its rooms, just as if we were actually there. In addition,\u00a0its YouTube channel<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>offers 485 videos on past exhibitions and the foundation\u2019s collection. CentroCentro<\/strong><\/a>, located in Cibeles Palace, also has its own YouTube channel<\/strong><\/a>. The content in its various sections \u2013Exposiciones (Exhibitions), M\u00fasica (Music), Programa P\u00fablico (Public Programme) and Aprendizaje Colectivo (Collective Learning)\u2013 allows visitors to enjoy lectures, talks, workshops and concerts held in recent years. Just behind CentroCentro, in the beautiful neighbourhood of Los Jer\u00f3nimos, the National Museum of Decorative Arts<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> houses what may be the most spectacular Valencian kitchen in existence. In the 18th century it was customary for wealthy families from Spain\u2019s Mediterranean coast to use painted tiles to create these sorts of recreational spaces where they would have their afternoon snacks. Thanks to the virtual visit<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> available on its website, even though all of Madrid\u2019s museums are closed these days, you can continue to enjoy all that it has to offer.<\/p>\n Moving on to Paseo del Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum<\/strong><\/a> was one of the first museums to launch a specific programme for this period of confinement. #ThyssenDesdeCasa (#ThyssenFromHome) includes virtual tours of the entire permanent collection<\/strong><\/a> and the extraordinary exhibition Rembrandt and Amsterdam Portraiture, 1590-1670<\/strong><\/a>, as well as various Spotify<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0lists inspired by the paintings. There are also communities and free online courses, including offerings as enticing as\u00a0Light and Colour in Painting: The Venetian Myth<\/strong><\/a> and\u00a0Landscape: Myths, Inventions and Realities<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/biblioteca-nacional.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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