Santiponce is a town near Seville, about 8 km away, where there is one of the most important archaeological sites in the whole nation: le ruins of Italica. The city retains one of the oldest and largest amphitheaters in the world, which is why today we want to tell you about what to see in Santiponce.
Santiponce and Italica: a bit of history
Santiponce is located 8 kilometers from Seville and is one of the places where you can find the representations of the Roman Empire in Spain, in particular here Italica stood, a city founded by Scipio in 206 BC. which had the main function of rehabilitation and treatment camp for soldiers who were wounded in the battles against the Carthaginians. In that period, therefore, this area and in particular Santiponce were a nerve center of the Roman Empire.
It is also here that they were born Trajan, who was emperor, as well as the emperor Hadrian and, therefore, this attests to the fact that it is a highly visible area during the Roman period. That's why the ancient Italica it is one of the most important sites, which contains several testimonies of that era. You pass from the paved streets to the remains of private residences, complete with splendid mosaics. But let's get to the heart of the discussion and ask ourselves what to see in Santiponce.
What to see in Santiponce
The first thing you should know, as we have already said, is that it is a town full of Roman ruins, since the ancient Italica which is currently part of the best known archaeological site in all of Spain. But what to visit in the city?
A beautiful example, among all, is that of Planetarium House, that whoever comes to Santiponce absolutely cannot get lost. Inside, in fact, there is a mosaic that is nothing short of beautiful, which depicts the deities of the seven days of the week in such a particular way that it is not found anywhere else in the world.
We also report the wonderful Bird House that is the House of the Birds, one of the most beautiful and best preserved ever. But it does not end there, because the site of the ancient Italica it also preserves one of the largest Roman amphitheaters in the world, as it has a length of 156 meters and could host up to 25 spectators. A spectacle of rare beauty, as are the baths and the theater, discovered only in 1975 and restored to perfection.
Moving from Italica, among the things to see in Santiponce is the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, which is a superb example of medieval architecture, one of the best examples of Moorish-Gothic architecture in the area around Seville.
The monastery in question was born in 1298 on the ruins of a Visigothic church. It is a building with two naves, a polygonal crenellated apse and acute windows. Here, for the first time, the Bible was translated into Spanish. Finally, the XNUMXth-century murals, sculptures and the retable by Juan Martinez Montanés must be admired.
How to get to Santiponce?
The city of Santiponce is located 8 km from the city of Seville, it is possible to reach the ruins of Italica through a bus that leaves from Plaza de Armas, the bus number is the M172 and has a frequency of 30 minutes, that is to say that a bus leaves every 30 minutes.
Once taken the M172 you have to get off at the last stop to reach the ruins of italica and the monastery of San Isidoro del Campo.
It is possible to get to Santiponce also by car via the SE-30 towards Merida / Cordoba. It is about 7,9km to the motorway exit, then it is possible to follow the various indications to reach the ruins of Italica.
