Destination: Seville

Flamenco … bull-fighting … religious fiestas … Christopher Columbus … these all-so-Spanish synonyms find their ultimate expression and concentration in none other than Seville.

As so masterly evoked by John Woo in the opening scenes of Mission Impossible 2, flamenco is to Seville what samba is to Brazil. The thundering beat of the dancers’ heels on the wooden stage, mixed with their sensuous body movements and evocative clothing, symbolise in no better way the pulse of life in the Andalucian capital.

Seville, or Sevilla, as it is known by the locals, is the capital of Andalusia and one of Spain’s largest cities following Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. It is located in the south-east of Spain on the plain of the Rio Guadalquivir (literally, big river, in Arabic), which crosses the city from north to south. It is undoubtedly one of the largest historical cities in Europe.

Indisputably the best time to visit Seville would be in springtime when within the space of only two weeks take place the two most important festivities of this city: Semana Santa, or, Holy Week, with its world-famous processions, and Feria de Abril, the Flamenco-event of the year. During Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday, thousands of people pour onto the winding streets of this ancient city to remember the events of The Passion. Seville is renowned for staging perhaps the most overwhelming pageant of The Passion to be found anywhere in the world.



The commemoration dates back to the 16th century, when the Catholic Church decided to educate congregations about the events surrounding Christ's crucifixion. Today, the celebrations are as popular as they have ever been. The spectacle of the solemn processions is marked by mesmerizing drumbeats and punctuated by flamenco saetas, or songs. Every day for an entire week devout believers from 57 hermandades, or brotherhoods, wind their way through the streets of Seville in slow procession from their own church to the cathedral in the centre of the city. The festival commemorates the events of the Passion. The climax of the whole week is la madruga, or Good Friday, when the procession continues until the early hours of the morning. The penitents, dressed in long dark robes and tall pointed hoods, strike an eerie image as they proceed through the town. Each brotherhood carries two pasos or floats: on one is a statue of Christ, on the other of the Virgin Mary. These floats are incredibly heavy and they symbolize Christ's own suffering when he carried the cross to Calvary. La Virgen Macarena, patron saint of bullfighters, is transported through the town and across the river on a float surrounded by thousands of candles and the people throw rose petals at her as she goes.

Holy Week is followed by the Feria de Abril, or the April Fair, when the city becomes a fairground with horse and carriage parades, and men and women clad head-to-toe in flamenco costume. The fair runs for around a week and hosts an enticing programme of typically Andalusian cultural events. Over 1000 brightly-coloured marquees are covered in decorations and paper lanterns and are packed day and night with flamenco dancers.

Furthermore during this fair horses and beautifully-decorated carriages parade in shining colours throughout the city, with their occupants in fantastic flamenco dress. Some of the best bullfights of the year take place around this time at the local Plaza de Toros de Maestranza.

Flamenco and bullfighting represent strong cultural traditions in Andalusia and the April Feria offers a unique insight into the character and atmosphere of this individual region.



Seville is a lively city with a wide variety of entertainment and culture, including theatres, cinemas, music concerts but what distinguishes it most are its traditional tapa bars where Sevillians meet for drinks with tapas and sherry. Most of the tapa bars are concentrated in the Santa Cruz, El Arenal and the Triana districts.
One of the great pleasures of Seville is the wonderful variety of places to walk, the peaceful alleyways in Santa Cruz, Maria Luisa Park and the banks of the Guadalquivir. Taking a stroll around the city is one of the best ways to see the picturesque monuments and landmarks found within the old quarter of the city. Another would be on board a horse-drawn open carriage.

The Giralda is the probably the most emblematic monument of Seville. This 76-metre Minaret was constructed by the Moors during the late 12th century. In 1568 a Cordoban architect crowned it with a belfry. A gently sloping ramp, interrupted at intervals by platforms, leads to the topmost part of the monument where one can witness breathtaking views of the city. Currently the Giralda complements the majestic cathedral of Seville. It is the world’s biggest gothic temple and the third largest Christian cathedral after St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. Built on the site of Seville’s main mosque, this cathedral was consecrated in 1248.

The only remnant of the old mosque is the Patio de los Naranjos, an internal courtyard sporting lush orange trees, hence the name. The cathedral’s striking interior comprises a Gothic nave and four aisles with its massive columns supporting huge arches that appear slender because they are so tall. In 1899 the remains of the great discoverer, Christopher Columbus, were brought to Seville and now lie in the south transept of the Cathedral. This impressive monument shows the discoverer’s coffin being carried by four heralds symbolizing the four nations of Leon, Navarre, Castille and Aragon that united to become modern Spain. The cathedral also houses countless artistic treasures including sculptures, paintings and stained-glass windows.

A few metres away from the Cathedral is the Alcázar, a great Arabian style palace whose first fortifications go back to 884 was built to defend the town from its enemies. The major part of today's palace was constructed after the Christian reconquest of the town in 1362, by King Pedro "The Cruel". This palace houses several important rooms including the Ambassadors’ Hall, which oozes splendor, and the Bedroom of the Moorish Kings, which possesses the most magnificent doors.

A short walk away from the Alcázar is the Barrio Santa Cruz, a former Jewish quarter favoured by Seville nobility in the 17th century. It can be accessed via the Alcázar itself and stands in the middle of the historic centre of the city, protected by the walls of the Alcázar. Its narrow lanes, richly decorated facades, flower-filled patios, wrought-iron grilles and squares shaded in orange trees are all delightful features of a typical Andalucian neighbourhood and is certainly worth a visit especially in the evenings when cafés and restaurants overflow into its squares.

One cannot miss out on the majestic Maestranza bullring situated in the El Arenal quarter, close to the barrio Santa Cruz alongside the banks of the Guadalquivir. La Real Maestranza, dating back to the 18th century, is one of the most significant, oldest and most beautiful bullrings in the history of bullfighting. It took more than a century to build and is surrounded by 116 asymmetrical balconies. It also houses an interesting museum dedicated to the sport, containing sumptuous costumes and various mementoes such as bullfighting trophies, photographs and other objects in the world of bullfighting.

A few metres away from the La Real Maestranza along the Paseo de Colon is the Torre Del Oro. Built in the 13th century this twelve-sided Moorish “Gold-Tower" was originally part of the town-walls along Guadalquivir river and was built to serve as a defence tower for the city. Its name comes from the golden ceramic tiles which originally covered its front. In the Christian epoch the tower served as seat of the marine's administration. It reached its greatest importance with the discovery of America, for this was the point of arrival for ships returning from the Indies. Today it houses the Museum of Navigation.

One other place definitely not to be missed is what is perhaps the gem of Seville, the Plaza de España. It is located in the centre of the Parque de Maria Luisa, a short distance away from the Torre Del Oro past a number of other historic buildings including the Universidad and Palacio de San Telmo. The Parque de Maria Luisa houses many terraces, many of them in the old pavilions of the Exposition of 1929, close to the Theatre Lope de Vega. The Plaza De España is an impressive work of Seville's best-known modernist style architect, Hannibal Gonzalez. It was made for the Ibero-American Exposition held in 1929 and consists of a vast semicircular complex with fountains, monumental staircases and an artificial lake with two highly individual towers at its both extremes. Each of the fifty-eight benches placed in recesses around the square are decorated with typical Spanish painted tiles and represent historic episodes from each province of Spain.

Who says Spain says tapas, and one cannot miss out on the local varieties such as Pinchos Morunos, very spicy bits of meat, Pavías de Pescado, marinated fish fried in olive-oil, Jamon, cured ham, and of course the fantastic olives of the region. These are served in more than a thousand bars where the choice of food is virtually unlimited. One can actually make a meal out of them, moving from bar to bar and trying a couple of dishes at a time.

And to make your visit to Seville complete, you may wish to pay a visit to the local Benito Villamarin stadium where Malta’s national football team suffered that infamous record-breaking 12-1 bashing back in 1983 …