We’re in a surreal time in Madrid, somewhere between crisis and post-crisis. With the economy in motion again, the city’s charming madrileño hum is being shattered by the crash-bang-drill-beep of construction work and, for a brief moment, a peculiar phenomenon is appearing.

Hidden deep within Lavapiés, and almost always closed, this stunning cobbled patio took some serious discovering.

Corralas encapsulate the soul of Spanish urban living, which boomed when Madrid was declared capital of Spain in 1606.