2-370-042 - Samuel Magal/Sites & Photos/Heritage Images

Nunez Vela Palace, Avila, Spain, 2007. This palace was built for Blasco Nunez Vela, the first Spanish Viceroy of Peru. The most important work on this palace was carried out in 1540. The building is developed horizontally and the facade is outstanding for its lack of symmetry. It is decorated with slim columns and family crests. The frontispiece, the arched patio with columns built to Classical proportions and the flight of steps in the corner of the cloister show how the Renaissance style had taken root in the city. The palace was the seat of the Military Administration Academy until this was moved to a nearby building. It was later bought by the Town Council and became home to the Provincial High Court, which is still its occupant today. Avila was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.