The Roman ruins of Italica in Seville, Andalucia
Italica is a set of impressive Roman ruins located just a few miles outside of Seville in Andalucia. The site dates back to 206BC when it served as a settlement for Roman soldiers wounded in the battle of Illipa – the first settlers who came from Italy.
These ruins are in fact the most important from an archaeological perspective in the whole of Spain as it showcases some incredible early Roman architecture, city layouts and mosaics. It has a huge amphitheatre which in its heyday seated 20,000 spectators who could enjoy gladiators and exotic wild beasts clash. You can in fact wander the tunnels where gladiators would once have walked and stand in the den which would have housed the lions. Right in the centre of the arena you can see the pit, which would have been covered by wooden slats and used for gladiator sports.
Once you’ve checked out the amphitheatre, take a stroll along the ancient city streets and feel the original cobbles under your feet, remembering that over 2000 years ago someone walked there – awe inspiring. The city layout is very much a grid with defined spaces where houses and buildings once stood, you can still get a good look at the mosaic floors which are perfectly preserved.
IMPORTANT DATES:
International festival of Dance – Lasts a week and happens in the Month of July
European Youth Festival of Greek and Roman Theatre – Takes place in April (14 – 17th April 2010)
FACT: Excavations started way back in 1781 and have never ceased… in fact, Italica was so big that it’s unlikely ALL that the entire city will be fully excavated.
You can visit Italica every day except for Mondays and entrance if free for EU citizens otherwise it costs just 1.5€.
We have a wide variety of Villas in Andalucia that are situated close to Seville.
