Welcome to Hispanic Antiques and what better place to start our journey into the fabulous world of Spanish antiques, art, sculpture and design than the beautiful city of Seville in Andalusia, Spain. Seville became the capital of Moorish Al-Andalus after the conquest of Hispanis in 712 for the Caliphates, the Almoravid and the Almohad dynasties. This lasted for 500 years until the Castilian reconquista in 1247. It is famous for its three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Alcazar palace complex, the Cathedral & Giralda (above) and the General Archive of the Indies. Seville is also home to Flamenco, the smell of orange blossom, the festivities of ‘Semana Santa’ and the blood of the corrida.

Today we took in the magnificent Cathedral and the moorish symbol of Seville, the Giralda . The Cathedral is home to the largest altarpiece in Spain and, quite possibly, the most impressive in the world carved by a series of Flemish sculptors. It also houses several masterpieces by the Spanish greats Murillo and Zubaran and also a fabulous 19th century monument to Christopher Columbus. And later I was able to sample even more of Andalusia with one of it’s most famous exports Jerez; a dry Manzanilla at the oldest bar in Seville, El Rinconcillo.