| Seville, Andalucia, Spain, Europe Property & Tourist Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seville The city of Seville is one of Europe's most magnificent (though not nearly most visited) weekend break destinations. It is packed with historic sights & cultural attractions, though equally a great place to come to relax & dine in a tremendously attractive setting. As the former seat of government in Spain (before Madrid was built for this purpose in the late 16th century) Seville played an important part in the discovery & conquest of the America's. It was therefore the first stop for the resulting treasures, & this is evident all around in the quantity, richness, & splendor of its layout & architecture. Geography & Facts Seville is both the capital of its province & the seat of government for the autonomous community of Andalucia. With a populace of 700,000 people in its city true, rising to over 1,300,000 in its metropolitan area it is also the financial heart of southern Spain. Although Seville is located some distance from the coast it is only 6 metres above sea level, allowing for the establishment of an important sea port via the Guadalquivir river. This has been the case throughout Seville's history & it is still one of the most active ports on the peninsular. Sights & attractions It is difficult to know where to begin when summarising Seville's attractions. Suffice to say that there is something here for everyone. The most visited attraction in the city is it's Cathedral. An imposing structure is the 3rd largest Cathedral in the world (behind St. Peters in Rome & St. Paul's in England). An incredibly detailed building inside & out, it offers beautifully sculpted facades & a magnificent bell-tower offering unparalleled views out across the city. The Royal Palace in Seville (also known as the Alcazar) is an ancient Mudejar style palace in the centre of the city. Work on it was started by the Moors in the early 10th century, though added to in subsequent generations (by both Moorish & Christian rulers). The resulting construct is something quite unique & well worth a visit. The palace is still is use by the Spanish royal family as a holiday home. No trip to Seville would be complete without visiting its bull-ring (or Plaza de Toros). One of the most famous bull-rings in Spain it is a magnificent construct with a seating capacity of around 14,000. Though worth seeing for its architecture alone the best time to take in a bullfight is during the month of April, when (during the Avril Feria fiesta) there are bullfights every day. Getting around The best way to experience Seville's most central areas is on foot, with the vast majority of the city's main sights & attractions within reach of each other. Unless traveling outside Seville visitors are unlikely to need the train, instead there are regular bus services running to all main destinations & a tube/metro service is due to open in 2006. Cuisine Seville is an excellent place to come if looking to savour traditional Spanish cuisine, with a multitude of restaurants & tapas bars peppering the city centre. It is widely rumored to be the birthplace of tapas, & so expect to find literally thousands of options at bars & tavernas throughout the city. Seville's hot climate has influenced it's culinary offerings; alongside the usual Spanish dishes expect to find foods such as Gazpacho (Spain's famous cold soup) & Ensalada Sevillana (a variation on potato salad) on many menus. Shopping There are a multitude of shopping opportunities in Seville; perhaps more so than anywhere else in southern Spain. With enough middle-high end retail outlets present to keep anyone interested. Alongside this are a multitude of typical markets & larger department stores. However for shops that are slightly more unique to the area (or perhaps more directly aimed at tourists) it is best to visit the Triana neighborhood; here visitors will find an array of authentic looking shops selling the mainly (but not exclusively) ceramic wares that Seville is known for. History in brief The origins of Seville are clouded in myth & mystery. It is said that the city was first founded by Hercules, it is also linked with the people of Tartessos; connected (due to its unexplained disappearance) with the legend of Atlantis. One things is known for certain, that it was an Iberian trading post occupied first by the Phoenicians, & then by the Carthaginians who practically destroyed the city in 216BC. In 206BC after defeating the Cartheginians the Roman general Scipio (in order to settle wounded veterans) built the city of Italica; very near the location of the former Iberian-Phoenician settlement. In time Roman attention turned to the ruins just beyond it borders, & in 49BC appears in official Roman history as the city of Hispalis. Like most of Spain Hispalis eventually fell to the Visigoths (6th century AD), & then the Moors in 711 AD; who ruled here for 500 years & changed it's name to Isbilya. The conquest of the city by Spain's Christian monarchs (Ferdinand & Isabel) came in 1248AD, taking it's current name of Seville. In the 5th century central government moved there & was subsequently the birthplace of the infamous Spanish Inquisition. In 1492 the Moors were expelled from the peninsular unifying Spain as a singular Christian state, it was also the year that Spain discovered the America's. The discovery of this new world transformed Spain into one of the world's richest nations. As all trade from the new colony's passed through Seville the city grew to become incredibly wealthy & both it's populace & urban infrastructure grew immensely. The fruits of this affluent age can be seen all around in modern day Seville; in it's state buildings, urban palaces, squares, gardens, & more. Climate The climate in Seville is one of Spain's warmest, in fact Seville holds the crown of Europes highest recorded temperature. During the summer months (June-September) daily highs can reach 40°C, with nightly lows of 18°C. Though significantly cooler its winters are very mild, with frequent daily highs of 18°C, & nightly lows of around 10°C. Seville Tourist Office TEL +34 954 592915 FAX +34 954 590919 More Seville links: -
Seville, Andalucia, Spain, Europe, Property & Tourist Information
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Seville, Andalucia, Spain, Europe. Seville Accommodation, Holiday, Property, and Tourist Information. Seville places to visit, tourism, flights, car hire, apartment sales, villa sales, and rental. |