Seville:
Here’s the Party!
One of Andalusia’s historic capitals, Seville has benefited from successive waves of Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations.
By: Raphael Kadushin
What you notice first are the candy-colored flamenco and fiesta dresses hanging in Seville shop windows. Falling in tiers, splashed with polka dots bigger than poker chips, these aren’t just the ultimate party dresses; they’re a party in themselves.
Seville follows suit: Metropol Parasol, a new urban landmark featuring a covered market and panoramic terraces, is due to open soon. And the revival of neighborhoods such as nightlife hot spot La Alameda in the west part of town means that Seville’s long-running party may just be getting started.
Fast Facts
One of Andalusia’s historic capitals, located 340 miles southwest of Madrid, Seville has benefited from successive waves of Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations. Winters are generally mild; summers sultry. The historic center, anchored by the medieval Barrio de Santa Cruz, is easily walkable, but hail a cab for less visited neighborhoods.
1. Feel the Emotions of Flamenco.
“Flamenco dancing is a fusion of all of Seville’s cultures and roots,” says Kurt Grotsch, a curator at the year-old Flamenco Dance Museum (www .museoflamenco.com). “Most authentic are the neighborhood penas, flamenco social clubs,” notes Grotsch. But, he says, “you can get some sense of that spirit at Casa Anselma (Calle Pages del Corro 49),” run by a retired dancer.
Another option: the Casa de la Memoria (Calle Ximenez de Enciso 28, in Santa Cruz), with short shows (tickets $17) most nights of the week.
“The colors of the flamenco dresses are your guide to the four essential flamenco emotions,” observes Grotsch. “Passion is red; happiness is yellow; sadness is black; and seduction can be almost any color.”
2. Spend Time With the Spanish Masters.
The Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) has “one of the finest collections of baroque paintings in Spain,” says Maria Dominguez, recently retired head of the museum’s restoration department. On Sundays an art market sets up stalls in the leafy plaza fronting the museum, where you can pick up a reproduction El Greco at starving-artist prices.
3. Survey the City from a Blessed Height.
The one city landmark that’s impossible to miss, and resist, is the Cathedral, which was started in 1402 on the site of a Moorish mosque. It grew to be one of the largest Gothic buildings in the world, and one of the tallest cathedrals in Spain. Climb the stone ramps of the Cathedral’s Giralda tower, once the former mosque’s minaret. From the top you can see out over the lush gardens of the Alcazar Palace and the maze of narrow Santa Cruz streets.
4. Explore an Authentic Neighborhood
For a truer sense of Seville’s soul, leave the medieval center and cross the Guadalquivir River to the barrio of Triana.
“Triana used to be the home of flamenco, when I was growing up,” says Tina Panadero, niece of one of the city’s most celebrated flamenco dancers. The neighborhood’s Gypsies have given way to more moneyed bohemians, but the quarter still retains a sense of its past.
The best souvenirs of Seville can be found in Triana’s ceramic workshops, where artisans paint brightly colored plates and tiles. At the sprawling Mercado de Triana, in Plaza del Altozano, vendors still sell chorizo, the daily catch of seafood, and the juiciest of Andalusian oranges.
5. Catch Fiesta Fever.
Seville comes most exuberantly into its own in April, when Easter Holy Week celebrations give way to the Feria de Abrila marathon of carriages, costume parties, parades, dance, and bullfighting.
6. Take a Carriage Ride Through Spain.
“Now that I have my son, Fernando, I’m always in Maria Luisa Park,” says English professor Mercedes Guinea. “You can rent a bike or take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park, or a miniature carriage for kids, pulled by a donkey.” The most popular carriage route runs through the park’s grand Plaza de Espana, where colored tile panels represent 48 pro-vinces of Spain.
7. Join the Tapas Crawl.
The tradition is to collect some friends and promenade from one tapas place to the next, sampling the bite-size snacks that are the local signature dish. You can tailor your crawl to a neighborhood or style. Eslava (Calle Eslava 3-5), in the trendy La Alameda district, draws a fashionable crowd looking for new-wave tapas (courgette quiche or a sliver of sirloin crowned with sliced potatoes and Cabrales cheese). Traditionalists will prefer Cerveceria Giralda (Calle Mateos Gago 1), in a former Moorish bath.
