Real Alcázar

The Alcázar of Seville was once a Moorish palace not unlike the Alhambra in nearby Granada, but its history is significantly different. It was a palace-fortress under the Moors, specifically the Almohades. In 1248, the city fell to the Christian reconquest, and much of the fort was damaged, subsequently falling into ruin. During the reign of Peter the Cruel in the late fourteenth century, the palace was rebuilt over the ruins. Peter kept

what could be saved and had mudéjar (Moors living under Christian rule) artisans rebuild the rest, so the fortress still has a distinctly Moorish flavor. The Alcázar of Seville has the distinction of being the oldest royal residence still in use in Spain: the Spanish royal family uses it when they visit the city.

The Alcázar is divided into several parts. The most impressive section is the Patio de las Doncellas, or Courtyard of the Maidens. This was one of the sections

that King Peter had re-done, and it’s very striking. Much of the fine work on the walls is reminiscent of the Alhambra, but the colors have survived better over time and it is easier to imagine how it must originally have been.  If the courtyard looks familiar, it may be because director Ridley Scott used it in his Crusades movie Kingdom of Heaven.

Be sure to check out the Casa de la Contratación, “house of trade.” The Alcázar was the

Cathedral

Discover Seville!

“Let us build a church so big that those who see it will think us mad.” That is what the cathedral chapter decided in 1401 when the former mosque of Seville had to be knocked down. It is one of the last Spanish Gothic cathedrals,

October 21-22, 2008

The exterior shows off particularly well the artistry of the unknown architect in playing with volumes and spaces. You enter by the Pardoner's door, formerly the majestic entrance of the old mosque.

The tomb with alleged remains of

and the Renaissance style is already evident there. New calculations have now pushed the cathedral in front of Saint Paul's in London and Saint Peter's in Rome as the largest church in the world.

By Christopher Minster

By www.sol.com

headquarters for trade with the Americas during the Spanish colonial era. It included regulatory agencies and a school for navigation, the first director of which was Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to America. The chapel features images and scenes of ships and

The Giralda is the most emblematic monument of Seville. This Minaret, 76m in height, was constructed by the Moors between 1184 and 1197. After the reconquest in 1568 the Christians fitted the minaret with the bell tower.

As an emblem of Seville the Giralda forms an elegant and tall silhouette next to

the cathedral. Built in the 12C, the minaret (96 m) of the former mosque was crowned with three golden orbs which disappeared in the 14C during an earthquake.

The current appearance of a belfry was designed in the 16C by the Cordovan architect Hernán Ruiz, who added the bell chamber and four upper rooms each with their own balconies. A statue symbolising faith stands at the top of the tower and acts

The Giralda

later became a luxurious showcase for the new style.

Subsequent owners have contributed to the building over time and it is currently the residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli and still one of the finest palaces in Seville. The marble portal was commissioned by the Marquis in 1529 from Genoan craftsmen, while the courtyard is typically Mudejar in style and decoration with tiles work and intricate plasterwork. This is surrounded by irregularly spaced arches

The first Marquis of Tarifa departed on a Grand Tour of Europe and the Holy Land in 1518. Two years later he returned, enraptured by the architectural and decorative wonders of High Renaissance Italy. He spent the rest of his life fashioning a new aesthetic, which was very influential. His palace in Seville was called the House of Pilato because it was thought to resemble Pontius Pilato's home in Jerusalem and

as a meal in themselves or as a tasty bite before going on to a restaurant for dinner. The actual translation of tapa is “lid”. The story is that in the last century, bar owners used to cover drinks with a piece of bread to keep flies away. It then became practice to put a tidbit on the bread and

Tapas are also an important part of the Spaniards’ way of life. Tapas are mini snacks, often displayed on the counter in bars, and include things as calamares (squid), callos (tripe), gambas (prawns), albóndigas (meatballs) and boquerones (anchovies) marinated in vinegar. Tapas can be taken

By www.sol.com

By Josephine Quintero

By www.thinkspain.com

2

Tapas

Casa de Pilatos

The Plaza de España is one of Seville's most easily recognised buildings and the epitome of the Moorish Revival in Spanish architecture. In 1929 Seville hosted the Spanish-American Exhibition and numerous buildings were constructed for the exhibition in Maria Luisa Park, among them the Plaza designed by Aníbal

González. On the Park's edge was built the current Plaza de España to showcase Spain's industry and technology exhibits.

The plaza is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous beautiful bridges. In the centre is a large fountain. Today

maturity, the genius of the landscapers can be appreciated - this is one of the loveliest parks in Europe.

In the 1920's, the Sevillanos decided to put on an exposition. In a tremendous burst of energy, they turned the entire southern end of the city into an expanse of gardens and grand boulevards. The centre of it is Parque de María Luisa, a paradisiacal half mile of palms and orange trees, elms and Mediterranean pines, covered with flower beds and dotted with hidden bowers, ponds and pavilions. Now that the trees and shrubs have reached

feels more real; it's also less packed with tourists. Triana is named after the Roman emperor Trajan, who was born in nearby Itálica.

Calle Betis, which follows the river, has indisputably fine views of the city, especially the Torre del Oro, the bullring and Giralda. Its

Scattered about and round the edge are more buildings from the 1929 fair, some of them surprisingly opulent, built in the last months before the Wall Street crash undercut the scheme's impetus - a good example is the stylish Guatemala building, off the Paseo de la Palmera.

Towards the end of the park, the grandest mansions from the fair have been adapted as

row of 18th-century townhouse facades, seen from the other side of the river, is as impressive as any in Amsterdam or Dublin. In summer, much of

3

Being on the other side of the river Guadalquivir from the rest of the city, Triana has its own distinct identity, likened by locals to a village within the city. It too has narrow cobbled streets and winding alleys, but is less picture-book pretty than Santa Cruz and therefore

By www.wikipedia.org

By Josephine

By

Plaza de España

Parque de María Luisa

Triana and Calle Betis

Spain founded in 206 BC. It rose to considerable military importance in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Throughout the Middle

The Roman ruins and remarkable mosaics of Itálica are located less than 9 kilometres to the north of the city, just outside the village of Santiponce. There is also a well preserved Roman theatre in Santiponce which is signposted from the main road.

Itálica was the birthplace of three emperors and one of the earliest Roman settlements in

Ages, the ruins were used as a source of stone for Seville, but fortunately the amphitheatre has survived, although these days it is crumbling perilously. Beyond this are about twenty mosaics, including an excellent coloured floor with birds, Neptune and the Seasons.

The 27km-long Vía Verde of Itálica is a footpath along a former railway line used for transporting pyrite from the

By

http://laarboledabiling.blogspot.com/

Seville is the primary setting of many operas, the best known of which are Bizet's Carmen, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Verdi's La Forza del Destino, Beethoven's Fidelio, Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, and Prokofiev's Betrothal in a Monastery.

The Plaza de España in the Parque de María Luisa appears in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as well as in Lawrence of Arabia as the British Army HQ in Cairo, while the courtyard was the King Alfonso XIII Hotel.

The motto of Seville is "NO8DO". The "8" is shaped like a skein of wool, or, “madeja” in Spanish. The motto, therefore, is a rebus, reading "NO madeja DO," a play on the sentence, "No me ha dejado," or "she [the city] has not abandoned me [the king]". The motto, according to one legend, refers to the city's support of King Alphonse X in a 13th-century war with his son, Don Sancho. Another places the

Did you know…?

Itálica

IES La Arboleda

Avenida de la Arboleda, s/n

Lepe (Huelva) 21440