{"id":3302,"date":"2014-12-04T12:15:24","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T12:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.veoapartment.com\/blog\/?p=3302"},"modified":"2014-12-09T12:30:08","modified_gmt":"2014-12-09T12:30:08","slug":"seville-barrio-santa-cruz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veoapartment.com\/blog\/seville-barrio-santa-cruz\/","title":{"rendered":"Seville | Barrio Santa Cruz"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"0054_santa-cruz-apartment-seville\"Plaza Santa Cruz<\/em><\/p>\n

Seville<\/a> is said to have the largest preserved historic centre of any city in Europe, and the old core of the city is the neighbourhood of Santa Cruz, also known as the old Jewish quarter. Today it\u2019s the most picturesque part of the city and a major tourist attraction, and although it\u2019s not large, it\u2019s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares, which have been inhabited since Roman times and even earlier. Julius Caesar, who was governor here in the 1st century BC before going on to invade Britain and meet his fate on the Ides of March, is credited as being one of the founders of the city, because he built the first stone walls around it.<\/p>\n

\"santaentrance to the Juder\u00eda (Jewish quarter)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"santathe corner of Agua & Vida (Water & Life)<\/em><\/p>\n

Although it has become rather touristy, with a lot of souvenir shops of variable quality, the Santa Cruz is still, with good reason, one of the places people come to Seville to see. It\u2019s greatest treasure is probably the little plazas that are scattered through it, many of them of exceptional charm. My personal favourite is the elegant yet cosy Plaza Do\u00f1a Elvira with its ceramic benches, fountain and orange trees, probably my favourite square in Seville. It\u2019s also the supposed birthplace of Do\u00f1a In\u00e9s de Ulloa, the impossible love of Seville\u2019s favourite son, Don Juan. Don Juan\u2019s statue can be found nearby in another classically pretty square, the Plaza de Los Refinadores, notable also for its palm trees and circular benches and the house with the huge glassed in corner balcony, designed by Anibal Gonzalez, who also designed the famous Plaza Espa\u00f1a. The Plaza Santa Cruz is the site of the original parish church, and before that of one of the Jewish synagogues, burned down in the pogrom of 1391. The painter Bartolom\u00e9 Murillo is buried somewhere in the square, which now has its centrepiece the curious wrought iron sculpture known as the Locksmith\u2019s Cross, moved here from its original location in Sierpes Street in 1921 as part of the urban renovation leading up to the 1929 exhibition. Other plazas include Los Venerables, bustling with bars and restaurants, Las Cruces with its three crosses, and the Plaza Alianza, once called the Plaza of the Dry Well.<\/p>\n

\"santafountain against the Alc\u00e1zar wall in calle Juder\u00eda<\/em><\/p>\n

\"santathe Locksmith’s Cross in Plaza Santa Cruz<\/em><\/p>\n

The narrow streets that wind from plaza to plaza help to block out the intense heat of the summer sun, keeping them at least relatively cool. Look for the tilework that adorns the undersides of many of the balconies and the seriously big wooden doors that guard the entrances to the most important buildings. If they\u2019re open take a peek inside \u2013 there\u2019s almost always one of those cool courtyards otherwise hidden from the world. Pay your respects to Susona Ben-Suson<\/a> in the street of the dead, and pause a moment in Calle Fabiola by the last small remaining section of the wall that separated the Jewish quarter from the rest of the city. Last, but by no means least, spend some time in the bars with the locals, enjoy some tapas and a glass of wine or two. Bar Las Teresas and Casa Roman, both in the heart of the barrio, are two of my favourites for both quality and authentic atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"0054_plaza-santa-cruz-b-02\"courtyard of our Plaza Santa Cruz B<\/a> apartment<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps surprisingly, it\u2019s not hard to find apartments for rent<\/a> for a reasonable price in this part of the city, which is also handy for shops, markets and the main monuments. And it\u2019s all so quintessentially Spanish!<\/p>\n