SEVILLE - the city with a special color

One of my favorite cities in the world is Sevilla or as we call it Seville.

It is the fourth-largest city in Spain and the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia.

It is located on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Legend has it that Seville was founded by Hercules, who sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic, and founded trading posts at the current sites of Seville and of Cádiz in the 8th century BC.

“Hercules built me, Julius Caesar surrounded me with walls and towers”.

Examples of the Roman remains called "italica"

In 712 AD, Hispalis was taken by the Moors and it became the capital for the Muslim kings from the 8th to 13th centuries. They changed the name of the city to Isbiliyya and later known as Sevilla. We can see the Moorish urban influences in contemporary Seville.

The most famous Sevillian buildings of that time are the Royal Palace of Seville (Real Alcazar), important Moorish naval watchtower Torre de Oro (Tower of gold), and famous tower bell La Giralda

Fan fact for all the Game Of Thrones fans: producers of the series picked Seville and Osuna to recreate the kingdom of Dorne. In addition, El Alcazar appeared as the residence of Dornish princes. El Alcazar is one of the oldest palaces in Spain still in use, and it is recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Another fun fact is that the upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the Spanish royal family as the official Seville residence.

Christians conquered the city in 1248. And they were so impressed by Seville’s architecture that even during their rule the most buildings were greatly inspired by the Arabic style and the Moorish aesthetic.

They also had to convert the Original Moorish buildings such as the Patio del Yeso in the Alcázar, the city walls, and the main section of the Giralda became the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral. At about 116 m long and 76 m wide, Seville Cathedral is the third largest Christian cathedral in the world (after St. Peter's in Rome and the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil) and the largest of the Gothic cathedral in the world as of today.

When we were in Seville, we had lunch at the best Taco Bell I have ever been to (of course I’d recommend you to go to a tapas bar, but for me, a person who lives in Spain, to go to a taco bell was kinda exotic).

After the lunch we went to “El Gato Negro” to buy Christmas lottery tickets.

In 1492, after Christopher Columbus' expedition to the New World, Seville began to majorly profit as all goods imported from the New World were required to pass through the Seville’s Casa de Contratación before being distributed throughout the rest of Spain. And that is when Seville had its Golden age.

The writer Miguel de Cervantes lived primarily in Seville between 1596 and 1600. Because of financial problems, Cervantes worked as a purveyor for the Spanish Armada, and later as a tax collector. In 1597, he ended up in the Royal Prison of Seville for a short time, where he wrote one of his most read pieces, Rinconete y Cortadillo, which includes a description of Sevillian society.

More fan facts: Seville is the setting for the legend of Don Juan, a famous women seducer (inspired by the real aristocrat Don Miguel de Mañara)

Seville is the primary setting of many operas, the best known of which are Bizet's Carmen(1875) based on Mérimée's novella

Here is a Tip for you in Seville: try the Orange wine. I was told that Carmen used to drink the orange wine.

Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Figaro aria 1816

Verdi's La forza del destino 1862

Beethoven's Fidelio1805

Mozart's Don Giovanni 1787

and The Marriage of Figaro 1786

Prokofiev's Betrothal in a Monastery 1941

During the 18th century Charles III of Spain promoted Seville's industries. In 1728, the construction of the Royal Tobacco Factory (Real Fábrica de Tabacos) was commenced. It was the second-largest building in Spain, after the historical royal residence El Escorial. Since the 1950s, it has been the seat of the administration of the University of Seville, as well as its Schools of Law, Philology, Geography, and History.

Seville is the hometown of two rival association football teams: Real Betis Balompié and Sevilla Fútbol Club, both teams playing in the La Liga

In 1929 the city hosted the Ibero-American Exposition, which accelerated the southern expansion of the city and created new public spaces such as the Plaza de España (Spain Square) and the Maria Luisa Parkland built by the Sevillian architect, Aníbal González. This is personally my favorite sight in the whole Seville, it impressed me so much I even decided to watch all the star wars movies.

Knowing that this amazing square only appears in one tiny scene. Which is a Fun Fact for all my Star Wars fans out there: Plaza España served as one of the locations in the Attack of the clones. The scene where Senator Amidala and young Anakin Skywalker arrive in Amidala’s home planet Naboo.

Plaza de España also appears in Sasha Baron Coen’s movie The dictator.

Seville is both the location and setting for much of the 1985 Doctor Who television serial "The Two Doctors".

More movies set in Seville:

Assassin's Creed

Mission Impossible 2

Knight and day

Spanish affair (8 apellidos vascos)