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The Sevillians are great actors and put on an extraordinary performance at their annual Feria de Abril,
a week-long party of drink, food and dance which takes place day and night in more than a thousand
especially erected tents. But above all it allows the men to parade through the streets on their
fine horses and the women to dance in brilliantly coloured gypsy dresses. Immediately before is
Holy week, Seman Santa, a religious festival where hooded baroque floats on which sit images of the
Virgin or Christ, surrounded by cheerful crowds. Both spring events are well worth experiencing.
In Seville, you will want to visit the old city, with the Cathedral and the Giralda tower at its heart,
(you can climb the steps inside the tower for a magnificent view of the City). Very close by are the
royal Mudejar palace known as the Alcazar with marvelous gardens and the Santa Cruz quarter,
with cramped streets, flowered balconies, richly decorated facades, hidden patios....Other sights
not to be missed are, in the old city, the Casa de Pilatos, a large sixteenth-century mansion where
Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance styles blend harmoniously amidst exuberant patios and gardens and,
crossing the Traina bridge over the large Guadalquivir river, the lively popular quarter of Trianan
with charming narrow streets around the church of Santa Ana and traditional ceramic factories.
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