Why this Spanish city should be on your bucket list

I’d wanted to go to Seville ever since my grandma sent me a postcard of a traditional flamenco dancer where the dress was actually made of folds of cloth attached to the postcard. Do you know those? So vintage. So evocative. That and the fact that marmalade is made with oranges from Seville were the limits of my knowledge about this city. Anyway, it was a dream that I got to finally go there and it didn’t disappoint.

Seville is way down in southern Spain, in the region of Andalusia, so the flight from Milan
Bergamo to Seville took 2 hours and 35 minutes. We slept at the ground floor apartment of THE ZENTRAL, PLAZA DE ARMAS. We had two bedrooms, a living room area and a little kitchen. It’s located down a small side street, very quiet but close enough to the city centre. This was a good size for the four of us. We could spread out into two double rooms and the living room. You’re also close to the Guadalquivir riverbank for an early morning run.

NB: this place is still available on booking.com, but Google maps says it’s permanently
closed.

1. SEVILLE IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY

It might sound obvious, but Seville is a magnificent city. Imagine huge wooden doorways. Strong colours like deep ochre, red and orange. Lots of fancy ironwork decorating windows and balconies. Orange trees that literally perfume the streets of orange blossom in the spring. Walking along a street and hearing some flamenco guitar playing from an open window…Take your time and enjoy strolling the streets, walking through squares and past old and decorated churches and take in all the beauty.

2. VISIT SEVILLE CATHEDRAL

Book ahead of time for a combined ticket for the cathedral and tower. Once inside this huge church, you’ll find the tomb of Christopher Columbus, the explorer who was funded by the Spanish Crown to discover the world.

3. CLIMB GIRALDA TOWER

What’s a holiday without a scary climb to the top of a church tower? I’ve lost count of the time we’ve done it, but the good news is that this one is relatively easy to access. Instead of steps, there are long slabs of stone slightly tilted upwards to help your ascent. Originally made for a horse rider to go up. It’s worth the effort once you reach the top as you will have great views over the city.

4. VISIT SETAS DE SEVILLA

SETAS DE SEVILLA at La Encarnaciòn Square.
Quirky building made of Finnish wood crafted into mushroom-like shapes and waves.
Great for photos and to see the city from another viewpoint.

5. GO ROWING IN FRONT OF PLAZA DE ESPAÑA

Magnificent semicircular plaza with the Guadalquivir river in front, and some pretty bridges connecting the two. You can even hire a rowing boat and admire the view from the water.

6. THE ROYAL ALCAZAR GARDENS

Once a Moorish palace and fortress and then controlled by the Spanish, this place is still
a residence for the Spanish royal family who reside here whenever they’re in Seville. If you’ve been walking around the city all day, then make sure to come here to relax and admire the beatiful architecture, and all the beautiful plants adorning the gardens.

7. GO FOR A RUN AROUND EXPO ’92 AREA

The theme of the Seville exhibition, in 1992, was The Age of Discovery to mark the 500
year anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the Americas. We walked around on a quiet
Sunday morning. The globe actually looks quite cool with the backdrop of palm trees
behind. There are plenty of long straight roads for running and you have the riverbank
nearby, too.

8. ENJOY AN EVENING OF FLAMENCO

Museo del Baile at Calle Manuel Rojas Marcos 3, Barrio de Santa Cruz
Seville is the home of Flamenco and there are many places called tablao where you can
enjoy it. This place is good because you have the museum visit included in your ticket.
Tablao also means the raised stage where the entertainers perform with the audience sat on chairs around this area. The performers are usually a small group including Spanish guitar players, singers and male dancers in tight suits and female dancers in swirling dresses with ruffles, shawls and castanets. There is music, singing and dancing. It’s passionate, dramatic and compelling. I’m biased, but I love flamenco.

9. HAVE A COCKTAIL IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL

At the rooftop bar of the Hotel Mercer, in Calle Alemanes 27, you can sip your gin and tonic and admire the view of the cathedral, at the same time.

10. RETHINK YOUR IDEA OF WHAT A PAELLA LOOKS AND TASTES LIKE

The home of paella is Valencia, a town along the east coast of Spain, but you can still get excellent paella in Seville. Just don’t expect a dish piled high with bright yellow rice bursting with prawns. A real paella comes in a large and flat skillet with two handles. The rice is cooked in a tasty broth often with saffron added for flavour and that beautiful deep yellow colour. The rice lies flat in the pan and is cooked al dente and should be moist on top and a little crusty on the bottom.

There are many variations but my top three are: paella Valenciana wtth meat and vegetables; paella de mariscos of rice with seafood and shellfish. paella negra: really striking paella is this black one made with squid ink for colour and flavour with shrimps and squid rings on top. Just know that the squid ink will also temporarily colour your lips and mouth and anything it comes in contact with!

11. TRY CHURROS WITH HOT CHOCOLATE

A typical Spanish sweet snack made from piped pastry dough to create fingers which are fried until crisp and then coated in sugar. They’re crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Great for dipping in a hot chocolate or just tasting with a bitter coffee.

12. ENJOY GIFT SHOPPING IN EL CORTE INGLÈS

One of our favourite places to go shopping in Spain has to be El Corte Inglès. This chain of department stores has a vast and curated selection of items including clothing (men’s linen and cotton shirts in Mediterranean hues like pinks and corals); food halls with more cheeses and hams than you can imagine as well as an abundance of large and colourful fresh fruit flown in from the Canary Islands. They stock loads of items so have a look, and their bars/cafés are great too. Inès Rosales food and gift shop at Plaza de San Francisco 15, Casco Antiguo. You can pick up pretty gifts from here like tins of smoked and sweet paprika, toiletries like soaps and hand cream made from orange blossom oil and the famous tortas de aceite, olive oil wafers.