If “Mi casa es tu casa” really applied here, we’d all want to make Casa Lis our own. But there’s a big difference between dreams and reality, unless you were someone like Miguel de Lis. At the end of the 19th century, this wealthy businessman, who inherited a successful tannery from his father, was among the 100 most influential figures in Salamanca. With money to spend and a strong taste for modern design, he decided to treat himself to a home unlike any other and hired architect Joaquín de Vargas y Aguirre to bring his vision to life. He definitely chose the right man. Vargas tackled the sloping site by designing a stunning staircase that led to landscaped terraces and a central grotto, creating a perfectly balanced layout. But the real masterpiece was still to come. Wanting something truly innovative, he designed one of the rare examples of industrial architecture used for a private residence—combining sturdy stone and brick with flowing ironwork and beautiful stained-glass windows. It’s all classic Art Nouveau—elegant, refined, and full of character. Between 1917 and 1970, the house changed hands several times, including a period when it belonged to a rector of the University of Salamanca. Despite its beauty, the building eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned. Luckily, the city stepped in just in time. Recognising its value, they restored it and reopened it in 1995 as the Casa Lis Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Today, you’ll find dazzling collections of decorative art, porcelain dolls, and a wide array of objects that paint a vivid picture of upper-class taste from a bygone era.