Unusually for an inland city, Seville was once the most important port in the world. It directed the whole of Spain’s trade with its New World colonies and the merchants and Crown salivated over the arrival of the gold- and silver-laden treasure convoys fresh from its mines. The king’s share was forged into coinage; the doubloons and pieces of eight that symbolized Spain’s wealth and power, but in reality were quickly devoured by Genoese loan sharks or the pay packets of conscript soldiers fighting futile wars. The writing was on the wall and it all went wrong; the international hubbub faded as the country went bankrupt, the river silted up, the merchants disappeared and the plague culled the rest. But today, the bristling ramparts of the Torre del Oro still dare invaders to do their worst, while many of the streets of Triana, the one-time sailors’ barrio, still bear the names of the brave mariners who set forth into the unknown. You can find spots where Columbus prayed before his voyages or the ill-fated Magellan set forth to put a girth on the world. The artistic and architectural legacies from these golden years are powerful and poignant reminders of limitless optimism brought about by what must have seemed a bottomless cup of bounty. In more religious cities, convents are places shrouded in mystery. Not so in Seville, where people drop in to them to buy nun-made pastries to have with their morning coffee. Although there's always plenty of pew room at the local church, religious institutions are still very much part of life in the city. Most marked is the extraordinary festival of Semana Santa. The Virgin figures in particular inspire deep adoration; people keep pictures of them in their wallets as they might of their partners and everyone has their favourite, whose perfection they will defend like their mothers' reputation. They'll often drop in to the chapel to check how she is and they'll chat about her qualities like they might a film star or a love interest. It's an affair that leaves the foreigner bemused and perhaps a little envious. The historic hub of Seville is dominated by two awesome symbols of power and wealth, the cathedral and Alcázar. Both hark back to the city’s Moorish days; the one built over the old mosque, the other owing plenty to the architectural genius of Al-Andalus. Around is the bustle of horse carriages and the scent of orange blossom, while overlooking all is the Giralda, a sublime fantasy of brickwork that was once a minaret. More sober is the impartial Archive of the Indies, a Renaissance building that sits like a magistrate waiting to pass judgement on Spain’s colonial history. Much is made of Seville’s Moorish and Jewish heritage, but finding it can be a frustrating business; an Arabic inscription here, the smell of blossom, the bustle of a market, the flash of dark eyes, but only ever glimpses. But it’s still elusively alive among the narrow streets of this quarter. Push out into the lanes keeping your eyes open for interesting snippets. Once done, head over to the tapas area and do some exploration of a different kind. Under the orange trees of Calle Mateos Gago gazing at the Giralda while snacking on a spicy chickpea stew or a skewered lamb brochette, Moorish Spain may not seem so very far away. Banish the siren songs of history with a wedge of tortilla or pork secreto and a draught of manzanilla and you’ll be back in Catholic Spain again. The optimistic buildings erected for the 1929 Exhibition have been put to fine use; students bustle about between cafés and lectures and cityfolk stroll in the blessed shade of the Parque María Luisa, home to the improbably grand Plaza de España and two museums. The exhibition was a flop, as straitening financial circumstances kept tourists away, but it pushed Seville beyond the mental barriers of its old city walls and into the modern era. Among it all is the old tobacco factory, where Carmen once earned a crust. Once the sandy, seedy, flood plain of the Guadalquivir, this area was built up around Seville’s half-finished bullring. It’s now one of the city’s most interesting zones, liberally sprinkled with high-quality tapas bars. The riverside promenade with its terraces, palm trees, and swallows, makes a picturesque evening stroll as the sun sets over Triana and the Moorish Torre del Oro tower is evocatively lit. The birthplace of flamenco in Seville, Triana’s backstreet bars still have a lot to offer if you prowl around and keep your ears open. Once the home of transatlantic sailors, then gypsies, Triana is a little gentrified these days, but there’s still a strong sense of community and a wealth of local characters. Home to most of Seville’s chirpy azulejo tiles, this is the place to come to buy ceramics, or for a terraced dinner by the Guadalquivir. At night there’s a lively bar and discoteca scene on the river, while the streets behind host Seville’s most down-to-earth tapas scene. A cluster of plazas and shopping streets fill the middle of Seville’s old town. If you want to dress Sevillian, this is the place to come to kit yourself up with flamenca dress, shawl and comb or traje de corto horseman’s wear – essential Feria fashion. If the wallet needs a break, calm down with a pastry in one of the city’s iconic pastelerías, small Edens for the sweet of tooth. Tucked away in side streets are baroque churches, still in use by locals, who squeeze into the pews with their shopping bags on their way home. Follow them in and discover little-heralded masterpieces of painting and sculpture. For a bigger hit, head to quiet San Vicente and the Museo de Bellas Artes. Seville’s proud anarchist traditions are still alive in this large barrio, still hemmed in by a long and impressive stretch of the Muslim city walls. If lively, friendly local bars are your preferred night-time destination, you’ll want to give the Alameda de Hércules plenty of attention, while by day you’ll be drawn by the lively Thursday and Sunday morning markets and the quiet lanes brimming with Gothic-Mudéjar convents and churches. Pride of place goes to the city’s most famous resident; visit her in her own modern basilica where the beautiful Virgen de la Macarena weeps jewelled tears for the death of her Son.
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Seville - £7.99
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