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Many visitors are surprised to discover that Seville has such an impressive Roman archaeological site as Itálica, the birthplace of two of the most important emperors in the history of Rome: Hadrian and Trajan. This tour gives you a chance to explore the Roman ruins and visit the Monastery of San Isidoro, where the first translation of the Bible into Spanish was produced.
Itálica, considered one of the most important and largest sites of Roman ruins in the whole of Spain, is just a fifteen-minute drive from Seville. The importance of this archaeological site is enhanced by its excellent state of conservation. Excavations began at Itálica in 1781 and have continued to the present day, uncovering priceless treasures. The Roman town is thought to be so big that the excavations will never be completed.
The impressive amphitheatre, one of the biggest in the Roman Empire, is surrounded by a small wood. You can wander through the tunnels used by the gladiators to enter the arena to fight and the den where the lions would have been kept. The amphitheatre could accommodate up to 20,000 spectators on three tiers.
Not far from Seville is San Isidoro Monastery, which is important to Seville and to Spanish culture. It was one of the most cosmopolitan centres of study in Spain’s Golden Age. The monks here completed the first translation of the Bible into Spanish, but the community was dissolved by the Inquisition, which considered that the learned monks had developed Lutheran ideas, after reading too many foreign books, which were considered dangerous.
The Renaissance-style Cloisters of the Dead is one of the most perfect examples of this type of architecture in the whole of Andalusia, and the altarpiece of the main church is one of the masterpieces of Juan Martínez Montañés, who also sculpted the effigies on the tomb of the founder, Guzmán Bueno, and his wife. |
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