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Published: January 15th 2011
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What's not to love about Sevilla? What a beautiful city, as though the world’s most creative and masterful architects got together and had a contest, trying to outdo one other. After four full days there we felt as though we’d figured out the town, the rhythm of how Sevillians pass a day, even the amazingly efficient and well-attended public transport system.
On our return trip we didn't have much of a plan but Todd dug up some good stuff to check out before leaving. After successfully dumping our wee rental car we headed over to the
Archivo de Indias which is housed in a beautiful 16th-century building that gets swallowed by the grandeur of the Cathedral and Alcazar, both a stone's throw away. The Archive has been housing the documents and maps of the Spanish colonial period since the late 1700s and if you're a huge map geek like myself, this place is for YOU. It's amazing to look at the old maps and learn more about the Spanish contribution to the world's exploration. We must be getting old because these museums were really riveting. 😊 The grumps inside wouldn't let me take pictures of the maps but I'll try to let
plaza San Francisco at 4pm
the rhythm of spain, a typical, social gathering of Sevillans for a 4pm cana that go as they're all stored online if you have the patience to weed through them.
The following day we took a bus out to the town of Santiponce on our final day to finally see some of the storied Roman ruins that can be found in so many places in southern Spain. The once thriving city of
Italica can be found there, much of it under modern Santiponce but the largest of the ruins have been preserved and excavated. It is something different to walk through a complex of foundations and old pillars that are 2200 years old. So many years ago the Romans were completely dialed in to so many things, from the movements of the planets, curbed and paved streets, aqueducts that brought in water that was then distributed through lead pipes, highly engineered sewer systems (which 2200 years later Cambodia could use a primer on) to some of the most beautiful art ever created. It was a fascinating time and people and it was a treat to finally see some of it firsthand.
Walking through Italica you are assisted in imagining the past with some nice interpretive renditions of what the houses and baths
must have looked like. You also walk by floors covered in beautiful mosaic which definitely gives you a hint as to how opulent some of these digs must have been. And then you go and try to find the guy working there and ask - are these ORIGINAL mosaics?! Out here open to the elements? Just sitting here? And he says yes, the mosaics and pillars are all from the 2nd century BC. And it’s just mind-blowing.
But the best is saved for last at Italica as you enter the coliseum which in its heyday seated 25,000 screaming Italicans. The sheer massiveness of the stones (some of which apparently were later brought to Sevilla to build the foundation of the Giralda), the strikingly modern way that people were ushered up to their seats through tunnels and exit into your seat section. It is no different than going to the coliseum in modern day Los Angeles.
The subterranean section is massive and not open to the public but thanks to movies like Gladiator you can vividly imagine the gritty reality of what went on in this place so long ago. As Todd pointed out, it must have been a
highly choreographed day juggling the fans, gladiators, lions, chariots…all of the tunnels seem to be interconnected and you’d hate to have an angry animal heading down the visitors’ tunnel.
Here is a video of walking into the Coliseum:
Italica Coliseum Here is a video coming in from one of the side chambers, under the stands, though the tunnels and out into the stadium:
Italica Coliseum II The sheer size of the (what I know is a relatively small) coliseum helped us appreciate that Italica was once a well-attended and important place - it was birthplace of two of Rome’s emperors: Hadrian and Trajan, and the first permanent Roman settlement on the Iberian peninsula. We followed our visit to the town with a visit to the Sevilla Archaeological Museum which houses most of the collection that was unearthed from Italica. Massive statues of Hadrian, Trajan and the Gods Mercury and Diana the huntress, bronze plates bearing page after page of history in latin, exquisite pottery, glass bowls (didn’t realize they were rockin’ the glassware back then) and iron tools - plumb bobs, cast iron skillets, delicate spoons, board games and beautiful gold earrings. It was all just so interesting to see. They
also had many of the full floor mosaics now on the walls of the museum - how the hell they transferred an old Roman floor from Italica to the museum we regrettably never got to ask.
Todd was excited to find a couple of Pulaskis in one of the iron tools cases.
We walked home through the lovely Parque Maria Louisa, through the Plaza de Espana, past the Alcazar and Cathedral and one last time through town. Sevilla gave us plenty of great memories and we were sad to contemplate leaving.
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liliram
liliram
WOW!!!
Thanks for sharing this. I checked out the video and it's awesome. Been to Spain just once, but if i were to go back, I'd visit Sevilla first. Love it there. And now there is Italica to check out. Great blog, great photos.