SEVILLA

1. REALES ALCÁZARES

"I hope God decides that I die in Seville and that He opens my tomb there on the last day!" cried Al Mutamid, the last abbot king of Seville. Surely, of all the places in the city, Al Mutamid, one of its builders, would choose his Alcázar.Like a history manual of the city, the pages of the Real Alcázar of Seville are written by all the cultures that have occupied it. Romans and Visigoths already occupied its lands, and built on the same buildings and temples. The Arab kings joined this footprint, and after them, the Christians.Kings and nobles, artists and poets. The most illustrious people in the history of Seville have lived, visited and shaped the Alcázar. And in them they have left a trail that you can also follow and continue.

The Real Alcázar of Seville is noted by many as the most beautiful place in the city. And is not for less. It is a fortified palace (or set of palaces), made up of a unique architecture resulting from the integration of all the cultures that have forged Seville.It was devised in the Early Middle Ages by Abd al-Rahman III. The Umayyad Caliph ordered the construction of a new government center in the year 913. The Alcázar Nuevo of the Abbadís would be added to the government palace, already in the 10th century, which the Almohads would complement in the 12th century with new buildings.After the Christian conquest of the city in the 13th century, the Christians continued the construction with new palaces and rooms, in an original mix of architectural styles that uniquely represents the cultural integration of Seville.

Throughout their history they have undergone many changes, but their essence remains the same. That of a set of gardens that separate the different buildings and that make up the leisure and rest areas of palatial life.Walking through the Alcázar Gardens, bathed by water and immersed in the magic of its vegetation, is to relive the Islamic, Renaissance and romantic legends that also permeate its style.

2.THE GIRALDA

It has the classic structure of the Almohad minarets that will continue to be used for centuries in most of the Mudejar bell towers.It is composed of a central prism with a square base, surrounded by four external walls. Between both structures are the climbing ramps, which in the case of this tower and due to its large size, even allowed access on horseback.

The exterior decoration is based on two-way or mullioned openings, either with semicircular or multi-lobed horseshoe arches, surrounded by alfiz and housed by another large pointed lobed arch (túmido). In the side streets there are mural arches that, seen from a distance, look like a network of rhombuses. The great height of this minaret makes it stand out from all the others, influencing its decoration in vertical stripes that gives it a special airiness.

In the body of bells, we can appreciate the magnificent work on its windows, where the arches and capitals of Caliphal descent stand out. The last body of the Almohad tower was replaced due to the deterioration suffered in the 16th century by Hernán Ruiz through a Renaissance finish on which a female bronze statue about four meters high that represents "the victorious faith" called the Giraldillo rotates. gives name to the tower.

3.Tower of Gold

The Torre del Oro is a defensive tower that protected the city from invasions by the Guadalquivir River. Its height is 36 meters. It closed the way to the Arenal by a section of wall that linked it to the Torre de la Plata, which was part of the walls of Seville that defended the Alcázar. It is a tower made up of three bodies. The first body, dodecagonal, was built between 1220 and 1221 by order of the Almohad governor of Seville, Abù l-Ulà. It seems that it owes its name " Torre del Oro " to the golden reflections produced by the tiles that covered it at the time.

The second body, also dodecagonal, was ordered to be built by Peter I the Cruel in the 14th century. The upper body, cylindrical and topped with a dome, was built in 1760 by the military engineer Sebastián Van der Borcht. It was declared a historical-artistic monument in 1931.

4. María Luisa Park

María Luisa Park is the first urban park in Seville , and one of its green lungs. In 1983 it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Historical Garden.3 It was inaugurated on April 18, 1914 as the Infanta María Luisa Fernanda urban park.

These spaces, which were initially part of the private gardens of the San Telmo Palace, were donated in 1893 by the Infanta María Luisa Fernanda de Borbón, wife of the Duke of Montpensier, to the city.4​ The Plazas de España and de América , built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, are integrated into the park5​ as in a public garden and constitute one of the main attractions.

5. Spain Square

The Plaza de España is a spectacle of light and majesty. Framed in the Maria Luisa Park, this square was designed by the great Sevillian architect Aníbal González as an emblematic space for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. The result was a plaza-palace unique in the world. Its proportions are lavish; it has a total area of 50,000 square meters, making it undoubtedly the most imposing square in Spain.

Along the entire perimeter of the square stretches a 515-meter-long canal, which you can travel on board a boat. Undoubtedly, a romantic experience.

A tribute from Spain to America

Along this embrace, or what is the same, from one end of the square to the other, we recommend you admire the banks of tiles representing the provinces of Spain. This has become a frequent «ritual» for national visitors who seek to be photographed in front of the space dedicated to their province.

6. The Santa Cruz neighborhood, a beautiful labyrinth

During the period of Almohad domination the neighborhood did not exist as such, this area, a plain located between the gates of La Carne and Jerez, being known as Alcázar de la Bendiciones. It would be from 1248, the date on which Ferdinand III reconquered Seville, when the Jews began to settle in this sector of the city, also receiving permission for three of the old mosques to be used as synagogues; the rest became churches. In this way, Seville housed the second most important Jewish community on the peninsula, behind only that of Toledo.

However, the fact that the practice of usury spread among Hebrew merchants aroused enmity among the Christian neighbors, who in 1391 staged a major assault that put an end to Jewish control of the neighborhood . From that moment on, many Jewish homes became property of Christians, the same thing happening with the three synagogues mentioned above, which became the churches of Santa Cruz, Santa María la Blanca and San Bartolomé. Thus, in a short period of time these buildings changed their function twice, going from mosques to synagogues, and from synagogues to Christian temples. Another example of how throughout history sacred spaces have had a special significance and have been reused by various religions.

During the years prior to the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 , the continuity of the Santa Cruz neighborhood as we know it today was in danger, as the possibility of laying out two large roads was considered, which, if executed, would have greatly modified the historical distribution. from District. Luckily, the Marquis of Vega Inclán imposed his judgment and avoided the dramatic intervention.

7. Metropol Parasol

Also known as Las Setas, the Metropol Parasol is a curious viewpoint. Built in 2011, it has avant-garde architecture that simulates six large mushrooms or umbrellas (parasols) and its structure is made of wood. It has nothing to do with the traditional Andalusian style, so it adds a note of originality and modernism to the classicism that reigns in the city. From the top of the building, you can have 360-degree panoramic views.

8.Pilate's House

Also known as the house of Alcalá de los Gazules, this monumental palace, located at number 1 of Plaza de Pilatos, has its origins in the 15th century due to the union of two lineages: Enríquez and Ribera, who maintained an excellent relationship with Italy and loved Renaissance art. The true founder of the House and promoter of the social rise of the lineage was Per Afan de Ribera “the Elder”, but, in the mid-19th century, the Palace of the Major Adelantados of Andalusia, as it is called, underwent extensive remodeling in which incorporated elements and forms typical of the taste of Romanticism. It is worth enjoying its excellent coffered ceilings and the collection of classical sculpture of the 1st Duke of Alcalá.

9.Archaeological Site of Itálica

Located just 7 kilometers from Seville, in the town of Santiponce, it is one of the most impressive and complete archaeological sites of Roman origin that exist in Spain. It also has great historical importance, because Itálica was the first Roman city founded beyond the Italian peninsula.

In this Archaeological Complex of Itálica (link to corresponding URL) among the places that deserve slow and intense contemplation are the Amphitheater, whose construction ended in the year 138 of our era and which had an approximate capacity of 25,000 spectators. Also the Theater, built over two centuries until the 1st century AD and whose steps were discovered in 1949. No less interesting are the Minor Baths, which occupy nearly 1,500 square meters, and the Major Baths, partially discovered and of which it is believed that they occupy an area of ​​about 32,000 square meters.

Along with the large constructions, there are in Itálica a good handful of remains of private houses, among which those of Neptune, Exefra, that of the Patio Rodio, that of Hylas and that of the Birds stand out, inside which numerous details can still be seen. of the city's splendor during the period of Emperor Hadrian.

10.San Francisco Square

The epicenter of Sevillian civil life is located in this square, presided over by the Renaissance Town Hall, headquarters of the Seville City Council. If it were not for this building, Plaza de San Francisco would form a whole with the adjacent Plaza Nueva. In fact, both spaces were part of the grounds and rooms of the disappeared convent of San Francisco.

The square is flanked by beautiful houses with balconies painted in bright colors and some buildings of historical-artistic interest. Despite its civil character, the Plaza de San Francisco was the scene of inquisitorial autos-da-fe and today it is one of the privileged places to watch the official Holy Week race, with its hereditary boxes. In the past, bullfighting festivals were also held here.

Of course there are a lot of interesting places left. If you have enough time and want to explore the city, don't forget to take ask us. As always, if you have questions, we are here!

11.Museums to visit in Seville

1. Archive of the Indies

The Archive of the Indies was built at the request of Charles III in 1785. It was created to collect and centralize all the administrative documentation relating to the Spanish overseas territories that until then were scattered among different archives and institutions. It is located next to the Alcázar and the Cathedral and, although it is not a very touristy site, it is worth visiting for its interesting architecture and the memory of a splendor past.

2. CaixaForum Seville

The CaixaForum Sevilla is one of the most recent centers in the cultural network of Obra Social La Caixa, since it was inaugurated in March 2017. It can be located in the emblematic Seville Tower, also known as Torre Pelli, since it was signed by the architect César Pelli. The philosophy that defines this museum, like those of this network, is its interest in disseminating knowledge among all age segments.

Although it goes somewhat unnoticed externally, it has an area of ​​7,500 m2, a space that is distributed between two exhibition halls, an auditorium, two multipurpose classrooms, a shop with a bookstore and a cafeteria. The person in charge of adapting the facility to house this museum was Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, a Sevillian architect who also transformed the space with additions such as a canopy made of aluminum foam, through which the center is accessed. In fact, his project won the Building of the Year Awards 2018 , an award given by Archdaily, a renowned international architecture portal.