Seville, capital of Andalucia
From the Arabs to Carmen, rich history and bright colour
Though the Romans founded Seville, its real history starts with the Moors, who named its river, Guadalquivir (wadi al-kabir, the big river) and created the twisting pattern of irregular streets that still makes the centre of the city nearly unmappable.
Seville was the richest city of Andalucia. The Torre del Oro was built to guard the harbour, and is said to have been decorated with golden tiles; its fine geometry illustrates the Islamic penchant for mathematical abstraction in art.
Highlights of the tour;
- The Torre del Oro, built just a few years before the end of Arab rule in Seville, defended the river and the city's port.
- The Giralda - the finest minaret in Spain (with a twin in Morocco).
- The Archive of the Indies, a fine Renaissance trading exchange by Juan de Herrera.
- The Alcazares Reales and the Palace of Pedro the Cruel, an Islamic palace built for a Christian king.
- The Royal Shipyards and the Mint which handled most of the gold from South America.
- The cathedral, on the site of the Great Mosque, with the tomb of Christopher Columbus as well as some treasures of Spanish religious art.
- The remains of the old synagogue, now a church, and the earliest mosque courtyard in the city at San Salvador.
Price: £5
What else to do in Seville
- Head for Plaza Alfafa and its superb range of tapas bars. If you're in a hurry, stand up and eat at the counter in Bar Manolo, all chrome and glass and utterly traditional. Espinaca con garbanzos - spinach cooked with chickpeas - is a speciality.
- Visit the ruins of Roman Italica, a few kilometres out of town. There are some splendid mosaics as well as the remains of an amphitheatre.
- Visit the Maestranza Bull ring to see one a
spect of Spanish culture. The Museum shows matadors' 'suits of lights', wonderfully embroidered. This is the oldest bull ring in Spain, dating from the eighteenth century, and its roughly classical feel and bright colouring is typical of Sevillian architecture. - The Tobacco Factory is a marvellous late eighteenth century classical work - it looks far too splendid to be a factory. In its time, it was one of the largest industrial buildings in Europe. It's now part of the university. But its real claim to fame, of course, is that this is where the gypsy Carmen worked, and met Don Jose the bullfighter... never mind that she's a fictional character, and in a work written by a Frenchman
- There are hundreds of flamenco tablaos in Seville which put on a choreographed display of flamenco. Head for one of the flamenco bars, on the other hand, such as Tenderete (in Santa Cruz neighbourhood) or Carboneria (in Calle Levies ), and you'll hear flamenco sung and played in a format more like a good Irish session - from the heart.