Orange trees and Church spires are emblematic elements of 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, under the Moors was often governed by a brother of the
Sevillan ruler. Later Pedro the Cruel built a palace within its
castle which he used as his royal residence in the country.
A magnificent 15th century tower built in imitation of Seville's Giralda
At the entrance to the town is the
Puerto de Sevilla a grand if ruinous fortified gateway which leads
to the historic old part of the city. Within the wall, narrow streets
meander past Mudejar churches and Renaissance mansions.
Up still
further is the Plaza San Fernando which is comparatively small but
dominated by splendid Moorish style buildings, behind here is a
bustling fruit and vegetable market which, like all markets in Andalucia,
appropriately reflects what is in season at any given time.
Close by to the east is Santa Maria,
a stately Gothic church built over the former main mosque, whose
elegant patio is retained. Like many of Carmona's churches, it is
topped by an evocative Mudejar tower and part of the original minaret
may still be spotted. Dominating the ridge of the town are the massive
ruins of Pedro's palace, destroyed by an earthquake in 1504 and
now taken over by a gracious if expensive parador. To the left the
town comes to an abrupt halt at the Roman Puerta de Córdoba from
where the original Cordoba road drops down to a vast plain.
The moorish alcazar.
The
Roman necropolis is particular noteworthy. It lies on a low hill
at the opposite end of Carmona amid cypress trees and contains more
than nine hundred family tombs dating from the second century BC
to the fourth century AD. Enclosed in subterranean chambers hewn
from the rock, the tombs are often frescoed and contain a series
of niches in which many of the funeral urns remain intact. Some
of the larger tombs have vestibules with stone benches for funeral
banquets and several retain carved family emblems. Opposite is a
partly excavated ampitheatre. Carmona is a fascinating town and
well worth a visit, whether you are a history buff or not ..
From
Carmona is a 28km-long greenway to Alcalá
de Guadaíra, the Vía
Verde of the Hills, which you can go on foot, bike or horseback.
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