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The General Archive of the Indies of Sevilla

The General Archive of the Indies of Sevilla is one of the emblematic buildings of the city, a reminder of its glorious past as a gateway to trade with the Indies and today an absolute reference in the study of the Spanish presence in America.
The Merchants of America, in the 16th century, used the steps of the Cathedral for their transactions. The Cathedral Chapter, to avoid the excesses committed by merchants, who sometimes used the temple for their business, installed chains and surveillance in the vicinity of the Cathedral.
King Felipe II decided in 1584 to build a building to house the Lonja, which would take place on the same avenue, next to the Cathedral.
It would also be the headquarters of the Casa de Contratación, from 1598, which was in the Alcázar, until its transfer to Cádiz in 1717.
The Indies Archive of Sevilla was created in 1785 by the hand of King Carlos III, with the aim of centralizing in a single place the documentation referring to the administration of the Spanish colonies until then dispersed in various archives: Simancas, Cádiz and Sevilla.
Since then and in different remittances, the funds of the main institutions related to the Indies have been incorporated until the archive becomes the main documentary deposit for the study of the Spanish administration in the New World and the Philippines.
It is the largest existing archive on the activity of Spain in America and the Philippines, containing information on the history and geography of those territories.
The Archive keeps a large number of pieces of incalculable historical value: autograph texts of Cristóbal Colón, Fernando de Magallanes, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Hernán Cortés or Francisco Pizarro.
Currently the Archive is one of the general archives (together with the Crown of Aragon and Simancas) belonging to the Spanish State.
In 1987 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO along with the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Reales Alcázares de Sevilla

Spain: the best way to discover a country is through its gastronomy.

The wealth and gastronomic quality of Spain is well known.
When talking about Spanish gastronomy, we cannot talk about a set of dishes, a unique way of cooking or a basic ingredient, but rather a huge variety of all of it.
However, the country presents, from end to end, an unparalleled variety. The dishes of the North have nothing to do with those of the South or the Center.
Obviously, the Mediterranean makes olive oil the base of many dishes in the Spanish cookbook, but from there, each region has developed its own gastronomy, giving rise to unique and high-quality specialties.
In addition, the gastronomy of Spain has absorbed the influences of other international gastronomies, enriching and varying its traditional dishes.
Traveling around the country thus becomes an opportunity not only to discover new places but also to discover new gastronomies and, through it, learn more about the towns and culture of the place.
The gastronomic variety of Spain is as wide as its cultural variety.
We design gastronomic trips around Spain.
For foodies and lovers of cuisine, we suggest you savor Spain through our gastronomic experiences, stroll through the lands of the prestigious Iberian Ham, carry out olive oil tastings in Andalusia, visit the most important wine regions such as La Rioja, Ribera de Duero or Priorat.
Taste the best seafood in Galicia or have tapas in Madrid and San Sebastián.
Discover with our Experiences and gastronomic routes through Spain, with the help of our best Chefs, the most traditional Spanish gastronomy.
Gourmet walking tours, Tapas tasting, Pintxos tour, cooking classes….everything adds an unforgettable experience to your trip.

The Plaza de España – Heritage of Sevilla

The Plaza de España is an architectural complex located in the María Luisa park in the city of Sevilla (Spain).
It was designed by the architect Aníbal González. It was built between 1914 and 1929 as one of the main constructions of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.
It constitutes the largest building of all those that were erected in the city during the 20th century, comparable to the other two outstanding historical constructions outside the walls of the city, which are the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (16th century) and the Royal Tobacco Factory (18th century).
The square has large dimensions (170 meters in diameter) and a semi-elliptical shape, which symbolizes the embrace of Spain to its former American territories, and looks towards the Guadalquivir river, as the way forward to America.
Its total area is approximately 50,000 square meters, of which 19,000 are built and the remaining 31,000 are free space.
It is bordered by a channel that runs for 515 m and is crossed by four bridges.
The buildings that surround the square are structured in a central building, wings with intermediate buildings that compensate for an excessive length and towers at the ends.
The construction is made of exposed brick and has extensive ceramic decoration.
The ceilings of the gallery in the square have wooden coffered ceilings that are supported by marble columns. The backs of the benches and some lampposts are made of wrought iron.
The medallions with effigies of famous Spaniards, the marble columns and the coffered ceilings give the whole a Renaissance atmosphere.
According to the writings of Aníbal González, his inspiration for designing the square had been the Spanish Renaissance, with the Sevillian architect providing it with new modern elements.
The two towers that flank the square, which provide a Baroque-style atmosphere, are 74 meters high.
The central fountain, the work of Vicente Traver, has been highly questioned because it breaks the emptiness of the square. The canal it contains is crossed by 4 bridges that represent the 4 ancient kingdoms of Spain (León, Castilla, Aragon and Navarra).

On the walls of the square there is a series of 48 benches that represent, in alphabetical order, forty-six peninsular Spanish provinces (all except Seville) and the two archipelagos (Canary Islands and Balearic Islands), with their shield, a map and a cloth Pisan tile with outstanding historical facts of that territory.

The archaeological site of Madinat al-Zahra

Medina Azahara, Madīnat al-Zahrā («the Bright City»), was a palatine or aulic city that the first caliph of Córdoba, Abderramán III, ordered to build, about 8 km outside Córdoba in a northwesterly direction, at the foot of from Sierra Morena.
The archaeological site of Medina Azahara has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest in the Monument category since 1923.
In addition to being officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 1, 2018.
The main reasons for its construction are of a political-ideological nature: the dignity of caliph requires the founding of a new city, a symbol of his power, in imitation of other eastern caliphates and above all, to show his superiority over his great enemies, the newly established Fatimid Caliphate of Ifriqiya, the northern part of the African continent.
In addition to being political opponents, they were also religiously opponents, since the Fatimids, Shiites, were enemies of the Umayyads, mostly from the Sunni Islamic branch.
It is located about 8 kilometers west of Córdoba, in the last foothills of the Sierra Morena, on the slope of the Yabal al-Arus, in front of the Guadalquivir valley and oriented from north to south, on a spur of the mountains, between two ravines , which goes into the countryside that is Medina Azahara or Madínat al-Zahra. It has been described as the Versailles of the Middle Ages.

 

Girona:The historic city

Gerona (in Catalan and officially, Girona) is a Spanish city and municipality, capital of the homonymous province and of the Gironés region, in the autonomous community of Catalonia.
Its historic center or Barri Vell is delimited in the east by the so-called Paseo de la Muralla, the walkway of the old Carolingian walls (9th century) and the late Middle Ages (14th and 15th centuries). Its monuments include the Call, an old Jewish quarter, one of the best preserved in Spain; as well as the colorful Casas del Oñar, built on the banks of the river and very close to the cathedral, with the widest nave in the world in Gothic style.
The history of the city goes back to the settlements of the Iberians of the indigete tribe in the towns that surround and close the Llano de Gerona. Around 77 a. C. Pompey built an oppidum on the Via Heráclea and the Roman occupants founded the original Gerona, called Gerunda in Latin. The new city of Gerunda was repopulated with the inhabitants of the town of San Julián de Ramis, becoming an important center of the region, with the articulation of a Roman ager that surrounded the city. Although Gerunda was inland, away from the coast, it had a good connection with the port of Ampurias.
The city had its first period of splendor as a diocese of the Church attached to the metropolitan see of Tarragona, followed by the ruralization that was unleashed throughout the ancient Roman Empire, due to the general ruin and loss of weight of the citizens. It belonged to the Crown of Aragon like many other territories.
In 2016, the city was awarded the Europe Prize, a distinction awarded annually by the Council of Europe, since 1955, to those municipalities that have made notable efforts to promote the ideal of European unity. It was the second Spanish city to obtain the award, after Santiago de Compostela.

Spain, the world’s leading producer of olive oil

Spain continues to be today the world’s leading producer and exporter, with an area dedicated to olive groves of around 2.5 million hectares.
Olive oil is a product ingrained in our food culture for thousands of years. It was the Phoenicians who made this product known to the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th century BC. During Roman times the consumption of olive oil spread rapidly, being the Betica province, present-day Andalusia, the main producing area of the entire empire. After the fall of Rome, the use of olive oil was maintained through the centuries to this day.
The continued consumption of olive oil, especially the extra virgin, is an inexhaustible source of benefits for our health, many yet to be discovered.
We offer unique occasions for you to be fascinated with the taste of virgin olive oil and learn about the roots of the Spanish olive culture.
Tastings with virgin olive oil pairing and a professional will show you the most important aspects of the qualities of this product.
New and interesting activities to do during your trip to Spain!

The imposing Cathedral of Granada

The Holy and Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral Church Basilica of the Incarnation of Granada or shorter S.A.I. Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Granada is a Catholic temple in the Spanish city of Granada, seat of the archdiocese of the city.
The temple is one of the masterpieces of the Spanish Renaissance. It is dedicated to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Lord.
It is the first Renaissance church in all of Spain and one of the best examples of this architectural style.
For all this, its history and its monumentality, it becomes one of the most important events in the city.
The visit to the Cathedral allows to combine the Muslim past (like many other cathedrals in Andalusia, it was built on top of the city’s main mosque)  of the city represented by the Alhambra and the Albaicín neighborhood, with the Catholic influence.
The Cathedral of Granada was designed to be one of the most impressive on the continent thanks to its two huge 81-meter high towers.
The architectural ensemble of the Cathedral becomes a space with a multitude of interesting elements and a large container of works of art.

Casa Amatller. One of the most emblematic houses in Barcelona

Casa Amatller is a modernist building in Barcelona adjacent to Casa Batlló and close to Casa Lleó Morera. It was designed by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch between 1898 and 1900. The three buildings form what is known as The Apple of Discord, alluding to the mythological dispute between the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, as they are considered to be those of greater beauty.

The building was commissioned by the chocolate industrialist Antoni Amatller to Josep Puig, who devised a model of an urban Gothic palace, with a flat façade, a central courtyard and a staircase that gives access to the main rooms.

On the façade you can see the two asymmetrical doors linked by a Saint George made by the sculptor Eusebi Arnau. Throughout the façade there is a sgraffito that joins the ceramic in a delicate way

The style is a mix between Catalan Gothic and Flemish (characterized by the flat triangular shape of the upper part of the façade).

Spain, a World Heritage Site

Spain is the third country with the most World Heritage Sites. Discover all our wonders!
With 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Spain is the third country in the world in the ranking of countries with the most UNESCO sites in the world, only behind Italy (with 49) and China (with 45)
The rich history of the bull hide and its islands has given a lot over the centuries, and a good example of this is the variety of protected monuments: from cave paintings to industrial engineering and modernism. In addition to some natural parks and intangible heritage, how many do you know?

Here we bring you the 30 UNESCO World Heritage monuments that you should not miss:

-Alhambra, Generalife Gardens and Albaicín neighborhood in Granada, Andalusia

-Historic center of Córdoba, Andalusia

-Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias, Seville, Andalusia

-Renaissance monumental ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza, Andalusia

-Mudejar architecture, Aragon

-Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias

-Ibiza, Balearic Islands

-San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands

-Altamira Cave, Cantabria

-Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha

-Fortified city of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha

-Burgos Cathedral, Castilla y León

-Old town of Ávila and churches outside the walls, Castilla y León

-Old town and aqueduct of Segovia, Castilla y León

-Old town of Salamanca, Castilla y León

-Gaudí’s works, Catalonia

-Poblet Monastery, Catalonia

-Palace of Catalan Music and Hospital de San Pablo, Barcelona, Catalonia

-Archaeological site of Tarraco, Tarragona, Catalonia

-Catalan Romanesque churches of the Boí Valley, Catalonia

-Lonja de la Seda de Valencia, Valencian Community

-Old town of Cáceres, Extremadura

-Archaeological site of Mérida, Extremadura

-Old town of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia

-Roman wall of Lugo, Galicia

-Hercules Tower, La Coruña, Galicia

-Monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and Suso, La Rioja

-Monastery and Site of El Escorial, Madrid

-University and historic center of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid

-Vizcaya Bridge, Basque Country

 

Spain. Barcelona. The Palau of Catalan Music

The Palau of Catalan Music ( Palau de la Música Catalana)  was built between 1905 and 1908 by the modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner as the headquarters of the Orfeó Català financed with funds from popular subscription.
The building is located in the Sant Pere neighborhood, one of the most beautiful areas of Barcelona.
The Palau de la Música Catalana is an architectural pearl of Catalan modernism, the only concert hall declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (December 4, 1997), which is currently an unavoidable meeting point for the cultural and social life of Catalonia.
It also constitutes a symbolic and sentimental heritage of an entire town that identifies with its history.
The modernist building is articulated around a central metal structure covered in glass, which when receiving natural light turns the most significant building in Domènech i Montaner’s work into a magical music box where all applied arts are combined: sculpture, mosaic , stained glass and wrought iron.
In order to enjoy this masterpiece, the Palau de la Música Catalana offers guided tours, an unmissable appointment to discover all the corners of this modernist jewel.

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