| Osuna
 The
impressive monuments crowning the hill which overlooks this farming
town hint at its past, when Osuna was the capital of a vast county
whose lords rivaled the Spanish king himself in power and wealth.
The most skilled craftsmen from Seville were hired to build the
Collegiate in the mid-16th century. This imposing cathedral-like
edifice contains some of the finest examples of the work of Jose
Ribera, Il Spagnoletto, commissioned by the third Duke of Osuna.
Next to the Collegiate, the spired University was founded in 1548,
and functioned as a college up to 1824. Today, its hallowed halls
once again welcome students, for it has been incorporated as a
branch of the University of Seville.
Carmona
 Located
on a low hill overlooking a fertile plain, Carmona is a picturesque,small
town with a magnificent 15th century tower built in imitation
of Seville's Giralda. This is the first thing you see and sets
an appropriate tone for the place. Not surprisingly, given its
proximity, Carmona shares a similar history to Seville, and was
an important Roman city which. Later Pedro the Cruel built a palace
within its castle, which he used as his royal residence in the
country.
Itálica
 Italica
was one of the earliest Roman settlements in Spain founded in
206 BC. It rose to considerable military importance in the 2nd
and 3rd centuries AD and throughout the middle Ages; the ruins
were used as a source of stone for Seville. Things to see in this
small town is the grand amphitheater, although these days it is
crumbling perilously, and about twenty mosaics, including an excellent
colored floor with birds, Neptune and the Seasons. |
