Spain's most seductive city — tapas, flamenco, and the scent of orange blossom
Seville is the capital of Andalusia and Spain's fourth-largest city — but it operates nothing like a metropolis. It is a city of patios (hidden inner courtyards, a Moorish inheritance, many classified as UNESCO Intangible Heritage), of tapas culture that still largely operates the original way (the tapa comes with the drink, not ordered separately), and of a festival calendar so extreme that the city essentially stops twice a year for Semana Santa (Holy Week processions) and Feria de Abril (a week-long private party in a city of striped tents and flamenco). The old city — the Alcázar, the Cat…
Seville was founded by the Romans as Hispalis (the Latinized version of an earlier Phoenician port) and became the most important Roman city in Hispania after Córdoba. The Moors conquered it in 712 AD and ruled for five centuries as Ishbiliyya, during which the city built the Giralda minaret (1184–1198, converted to a cathedral bell tower after the Reconquista) and the Alcázar palace complex — both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Ferdinand III of Castile retook Seville in 1248, and in 1503 the Casa de Contratación established Seville as the exclusive port of all trade with the Americas, making i…