Sizzling Seville!

we're off

Here we are again on the road for the second stop of our round-the-world trip (!) After Portugal, which has stayed in our hearts, it's Spain's turn. Tommaso chose Andalusia, in particular its capital Seville, to my infinite pleasure both because it's a beautiful and romantic city, and because they've told me it gets nice and hot there! After the adventurous journey with Iberia, we settle into the Patio de la Cartuja, in a delightful little apartment all to ourselves in the characteristic Macarena district, between the Alameda de Hercules and the Guadalquivir river, which in Arabic means "great river" - the Romans, on the other hand, had called it Betis, as the riverside promenade of the Triana district is still called today, along with the city's most beloved team, which this year unfortunately was relegated to the Spanish second division.

Cathedral and Giralda

After a rich and luxurious breakfast at the Historico Horno San Buenaventura, we set off to discover the Cathedral. Built on a pre-existing mosque - the Arabs were in Seville until 1200 - it is the largest existing Gothic-style cathedral. Very rich and decorated, the highlight is the tomb of Cristobal Colon, our Christopher Columbus. You exit onto the beautiful Patio de los Naranjos, and then climb up the Giralda, an ancient minaret transformed into a bell tower. In the Giralda there are no steps, but a remarkable series of inclined ramps that lead all the way to the top - it seems the Arabs built it this way so they could ride up on horseback.

From the top you enjoy a magnificent 360° view of the city! A true spectacle! We dedicate the afternoon to a slow stroll along the riverbank, which is very much lived in by the people of Seville: some run, some cycle, some skate, some sunbathe and some even go for a swim!

Conquering the Parque Maria Luisa

Parque Maria Luisa was the site of the first world's fair held here in Seville in the 20s. It's a huge, very well-kept park full of little paths, bird baths, fountains, shady groves, dotted with pavilions now home to museums and exhibitions, all to be explored by rickshaw! Of the museums available we visited the archaeological one, truly beautiful and well maintained and on top of that completely free! At the entrance they even give us the guide in Italian! The atmosphere is very beautiful and full of freedom: in Plaza de Espana we even put our feet in the water of the central fountain! what a treat! Then again, the heat is so intense that you have to make some concession to form...

The fabulous Alcazar

Entering the Alcazar is really like entering the Arabian Nights, truly a place unlike any other. It is the ancient residence of the sultan, later captured by the King of Spain after the Reconquista, and it really has something magical and fascinating about it. It's a continual succession of rooms, secret courtyards, grassy paths, fragrant hedges, fountains, orange groves...the decorations are distinctly Moorish, both in the azulejos - the ceramics that are a bit everywhere here, in everyday life, but this doesn't diminish their beauty or preciousness, on the contrary it makes them available to everyone - and in the architectural parts. You would never want to leave this magnificent place, so we stay a little longer strolling among the little paths or feeding the little ducklings that splash about undisturbed, intoxicated by the sweet scent of orange blossom.

Just outside - sooner or later we had to leave the Alcazar...- we console ourselves with a nice tour of the characteristic Barrio de Santa Cruz, the ancient Jewish quarter of Seville, with its little white houses and its secret patios full of colourful flowers. You can hear the sound of Andalusian guitars and the spicy aroma of tapas, the typical Spanish snacks: how beautiful!

The cruise

Sunday should be a bit lazy, so we lazily dedicate ourselves to strolling around "our" neighbourhood, the Macarena, quiet and working-class, famous for the Madonna from whom it takes its name and which finds its highest expression of devotion in the processions for Semana Santa. You feel a bit part of a world, you buy freshly baked bread, French fries, you watch people chatting cheerfully at the bar-tapas...it's nice not to always feel like just tourists but also to be part of normal, everyday life. We head towards the Torre del Oro, another symbol of Seville, from where the boats for the river cruise depart. From the river you see another city, still fascinating, but more hidden, less obvious. You arrive near the area created for Expo 92, with modern buildings and an amusement park, Isla Magica.

all on the large island in the middle of the river, the Cartuja, named so by the Carthaginians, even before the Romans arrived here. The cruise is very relaxing and a guide in every language except Italian discreetly accompanies us. The evening is all about the Alameda de Hercules, the long square near our hotel Patio de la Cartuja, full of trendy bars, but also of refreshing fountains spraying regenerating water.

viva san firmìn!

It's San Firmin's day! Actually the real celebration is in Pamplona, in the north of Spain, but everyone talks about it as a national event, on TV they even do the countdown! we, to celebrate in our own way, go to visit the Plaza de Toros de Sevilla, which is the second in Spain, in size and importance. To be honest I'm a bit hesitant, I've always thought of bullfighting as a violent spectacle, but I let myself be convinced. the arena includes a museum and picture gallery - with the largest collection of paintings and prints on the theme of bullfighting - and then there's a friendly guide who explains everything to us.

You get deeper and deeper into the dynamics and mentality of bullfighting, so much so that in the end I almost feel like attending a show! there are many rituals and many meanings to keep in mind in a bullfight and then many stories, dramatic and fascinating, that speak a bit also of the spirit of a people. The guide tells us stories of rivalries between bullfighters, of child prodigies who died very young, of devotions and prayers and also of the sad end of a cow killed because she was the mother of the fierce and aggressive bull that had gored the famous Manolete: they wanted to prevent her from generating other killer bulls.

A bullfight lasts about two and a half hours, and involves six bulls and three bullfighters "taking part" - each bullfighter must kill two bulls and take an ear from each as a trophy - In addition to the toreadores, the picadores take part, on horseback, and the banderilleros, whose task is to weaken and agitate the bull. The bullfighter only arrives at the end of a series of manoeuvres and choreographies carried out by those who preceded him. Everything must be taken care of down to the smallest detail, from the clothing, to the procession, to the care of the bulls - which still make me feel quite sorry, anyway...

Torre del Oro

We go to the Arenal, the neighbourhood where the ancient port on the river was located, to visit the Torre del Oro, an ancient watchtower currently almost submerged by the surrounding buildings, but still one of the symbols of the city. On Tuesdays there's free entry to the navigation museum housed there and then you can go up to the top to admire the city from above! There's still time for a quick trip to Triana, the working-class neighbourhood par excellence of Seville, where they're preparing the decorations and lights for the festival of 16 July, the feast of the Madonna del Carmine, to whom the inhabitants are very devoted.

It's lovely to stroll along this riverbank and even more so in the beautiful market full of life and colour! here in Seville there's still a tendency to use markets and small shops rather than the mega super hypermarkets we have, and to maintain confidential, practically family-like relationships with the shopkeepers...times gone by! We head back a little wistfully towards our little Seville house, to say goodbye warmly and put off our return until the next visit. Hasta luego Sevilla!