Modern Madrid

Madrid's sprawling growth continued unchecked after Franco's death in 1975. Freed from the iron grip of military dictatorship, the city was finally able to let its hair down and came to life once more in La Movida, an era of innovation, creativity and downright hedonism that has become embodied in the early films of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.

Despite the excesses of property speculation and corruption that have plagued Spain for the last 30 years, the city has managed to retain much of its charm and identity, combining the old and the new with seeming ease.