Casa de los Picos: 617 granite peaks in Segovia's old town

Casa de los Picos was built in the last third of the 15th century as a fortified house by don Pedro López de Ayala to defend the Puerta de San Martín. The manor was later acquired by Alonso González de la Hoz and passed to his son Juan de la Hoz, a Regidor of Segovia.

The building is known for its facade featuring 617 granite peaks and its courtyard. The heraldry of the Hoz family can be distinguished on the lintels of the five balconies and the access door. The entrance hall and the courtyard are decorated with Talavera tiles depicting various buildings of Segovia.

In the 1970s, the building was ceded to the Ministry of Education, which rehabilitated it to house the Escuela de Arte y Superior de Diseño de Segovia. The school began operating there in 1977. The building bears decorative similarities to the Casa de las Conchas de Salamanca, the Palazzo dei Diamanti de Ferrara, and the Casa dos Bicos de Lisboa.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons