Sevilla lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir and is one of the largest historical centres in Europe, it has the minaret of La Giralda, the Sevilla cathedral (one of the largest in Christendom), and the Alcázar Palace. Part of its treasure include Casa de Pilatos, the Town Hall, Archive of the Indies (where the historical records of the American continent are kept), the Fine Arts Museum (the second largest picture gallery in Spain) , plus convents, parish churches and palaces. Anyone looking for property or a City Break will find Sevilla has hosted two international exhibitions (1929 and 1992) and is the administrative capital of Andalucía. The quarter of Triana on the other side of the river, La Macarena, Santa Cruz and San Bartolomé, the street of Las Sierpes, plus La Maestranza bullring, María Luisa park and the riverside walks are all representative images of Sevilla.
For all its important monuments and fascinating history, Sevilla is universally famous for being a joyous town. While the Sevillians are known for their wit and sparkle, Sevilla itself is striking for its vitality. The Sevillians are great actors and put on an extraordinary performance at their annual festival the Fería de Abril, a week long party of drink, food and dance which takes place day and night in more than a thousand especially mounted tents. But above all it allows the men to parade on their fine horses and the women to dance in brilliantly coloured gypsy dresses. Immediately before that is Holy Week, Semana Santa, a religious festival where hooded penitents march in long processions followed by huge baroque floats on which sit Images of the Virgin or Christ, surrounded by cheerful crowds. Both Spring events in Sevilla are well worth experiencing.
One of the richest areas of Sevilla, in terms of the sheer number of monuments, is the Barrio Santa Cruz which is very much in character with Sevilla's romantic image, its streets are narrow and torturous and keep you out of the sun, with houses brilliantly whitewashed and barricaded with iron grills behind which girls once kept chaste evening rendezvous with their novios. Almost all the houses have patios, often surprisingly large and in summer these become the principal family living room. Near here is the Plaza de España, designed as the centrepiece of the Spanish Americas fair, and on the edge of the beautiful Maria Luisa Park. On a much smaller scale are the tranquil gardens of the Casa de Pilatos which, despite being built well after the Moslem period, demonstrates how long the interest in Mudejar architecture continued in Sevilla.
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