72 Hours in Seville, Spain — April 27-30 (Part 2)

Italica Archeological Park 

By Jim

The Italica Archeological Park is located 8 km outside of Seville in the town of Santiponce.  Thanks, Lea and Dan, for recommending this site. Italica was an ancient Roman city, founded in 206 BC and the birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, two of the “five good emperors of Rome.” 

Today, for the paltry sum of 3 euros, we explored its partial ruins which offered a glimpse into the city's history and daily life. Highlights for us included the impressive amphitheater, one of the largest in the Roman Empire (seating 25,000), and the intricate mosaic floors of Roman homes and temples.  Most of Italica lies buried beneath Santiponce.  However, we were able to find the ruins of the Roman theater before catching a bus back to Seville.

Both Emperors Trajan (left) and Hadrian (right) were born in Italica

Upper mosaic: Part of the "Casa del Planetarium", showcases busts of the seven planetary deities, each representing a specific day.  Luna : Monday 🌕 Mars: Tuesday 🌕 Mercury: Wednesday 🌕 Jupiter: Thursday 🌕 Venus: Friday 🌕 Saturn: Saturday 🌕 Sol: Sunday 

Flamenco and Bullfighting 

By Laurel

Our holiday needed a dose of culture, and Seville obliged.  Attending a flamenco performance was top of our list!  When the power went out on the day we had tickets we were at first dismayed, but then we were relieved when it came back on two hours before show time.  However, it turned out that although the electricity had been restored at our accommodation, the theatre a couple of blocks away was still dark all evening — fortunately, we were rebooked for a performance the next day.  Flamenco evolved in Andalusia (Seville’s province) from a fusion of influences such as Romani (Gypsy), Arab, and Jewish music, song, and dance.  It’s full of emotion and passion; we were enthralled by the sounds of the guitar and voices, the percussion of the hand-clapping and the heel-tapping, combined with the movement of the dancers and the women’s colourful ruffled dresses and fringed shawls.

Of course, another tradition of Andalusia is bullfighting.  Upon seeing a poster outside the Plaza de Toros (one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, since the 1700s), on a whim we decided to attend that evening.  After the flamenco show, we rushed to the arena and found our seats … on the sunny side of the bullring.  There was plenty of pageantry — matadors with sequined attire, bright red and pink capes, brass bands playing, armored horses, etc.  It was a spectacle, though we felt a bit uneasy for the bulls (and we snuck out before the end).  We later saw meat from vanquished bulls for sale in a butcher stall in the market.