Caspar Dechmann

Switzerland - 03-Mar-24 -

I spent about four days in Seville. Its WHS may be seen within a day but the city has a lot to offer beyond the splendid Alcazar and the cathedral and the less interesting Archive of the Americas. One morning I took the bus to look at this tentative site. I missed the bus at Plaza de Armas since the bus stop is a bit hard to find among the many bus stops in the very north of the square and hidden around the block. I took the next bus half an hour later. Since you are leaving the city all day tickets for the city are not valid on the bus to Saltiponce but the fare is cheap. 

In short: the site is worth a visit but no must and certainly no WHS material. The site offers a very small museum, I assume most objects are in the Archeological Museum in Seville (closed for renovation) and in the splendid Archeological Museum in Madrid. The site offers mainly two things: the pop-culture-famous amphitheatre which is an impressive ruin but certainly no match to already inscribed and much better preserved amphitheaters in Rome, Arles and the not inscribed Nîmes theatre. The second attraction is a series of nice mosaics as part of excavated roman villas. There is one with clearly identifiable birds, one with the seven days of the week and their gods. You can spend an hour or so walking around the ruins. If this was the only Roman ruin on the planet it should be certainly inscribed but it is so much weaker and smaller than most already inscribed Roman sites that it wouldn't add anything to the list. The Spanish roman sites already have a rather weak inscription with Tarragona which has certainly more to offer. And there are several Roman sites that really should still be inscribed - Jerash and Bet She'an come to mind first - that Italica is fine as a side note for the history of Seville.

I visited also the highly praised Mudejar monastery of San Isidoro del Campo but found it rather neglected and a challenging mix of many styles. With a car it is certainly easy enough for a short visit, by bus I found it involved too much walking and waiting for what you get. 

Nan

Germany - 20-Jan-22 -

My previous visits to Sevilla had taken place, before Italica was chosen as site of the dragon pits of Game of Thrones and way before the Spanish added Italica to their tentative list in 2019. As such, I was not aware of the site and never visited.

On my latest trip to Spain, Samuel argued that the mosaics are great and that Spain would nominate the site soon. As much as I enjoy another reason to spend late autumn in Andalucía, I figured I should tick this off while at it. So... I did a pretty long day trip from Ubeda via Cordoba for the Medina to Sevilla. The next morning, I took a local bus to the site.

Italica is one of those sites where the impression I got on TV and the impression I got on site were different. While the center of the amphitheatre  with the basement is iconic, the ranks are more humble. To me, the site is less about the theatre and more about the planned Roman city  (by emperor Hadrian) with town houses etc. Across the street, there is also a Roman theatre. I am not sure, though, if it's part of the nomination.

OUV

Had the last season of Game of Thrones not been such a bummer, I think the media attention and the fans would have carried it to inscription, disregarding any consideration for OUV. With the series going out on a low note, I think the drive for inscription is weaker. Still, this is Spain and they are very well at putting more sites on the list.

Personally, I would not favor inscription. While iconic on TV, the amphitheatre paled in comparison to other amphitheatres, e.g. in southern France. or Tarragona. Highlight are the town houses with the mosaics. Nice, but it doesn't feel as if Italica is closing any gaps.

Getting There

Sevilla is well connected by train to most parts of Spain. However, the bullet trains (especially direction Madrid) require a reservation and may sell out. The regional trains (MD) don't, but run far less frequently. Benefit: MD trains heading South have a second stop closer to the city at Sevilla-San Bernardo.

In Sevilla, you can take a bus from Estación de Autobuses Plaza de Armas. Google maps knows the connection, but not the proper departure location. The bus starts in the bus terminal, not at the bus stops on the street. I nearly missed my bus as I was waiting on the street. If you find the bus station a bit confusing, it's easier to catch the bus at Chapina V across the river. You also get nice views of the river.

While You Are There

Obviously, you should visit Sevilla. Around Sevilla, are multiple Olive plantations that are part of the proposed Olives of Andalucia tentative site.

Zoë Sheng

Chinese-Canadian - 12-Mar-19 -

Italica was on the top of my list for Spain mainly because of the filming location used as the Season 7 finale of Game of Thrones. A great location indeed. It doesn't quite compare to big sites like the nearby Sevilla but it's a classic "ruin" that perfectly fits to world heritage.

Entrance was free even for non-Europeans at the time, the website states €1.50 which isn't a lot for the massive amount you get to see. The entrance to the site was also on the other side of the area which was temporary due the film crew (read: set construction) using the main access instead. Everyone was greeted and as soon as they figured I'm not Spanish I was just shuffled along inside, the rest was offered a guided tour (I assume not for free).

It is one of the biggest sites of Roman ruins although it is very ruined. A lot of of the main paths go along very short walls and column pieces - not very impressive by itself but after it took me 20 minutes to walk around I figured this place is REALLY huge. The amphitheater is the biggest draw and the location of the GoT scenes. Not only that but it could house 25,000 people, that's a lot and maybe the entire town! Due to the upcoming filming the site was partially blocked off and it was not possible to walk inside at that moment, as the site is to make a return in the eight season of the show. The second biggest draw are the mosaic floors - beautiful. Third, the thermal baths. Well I didn't find them as impressive as Rome or even the Turkish ones that are now lying in ruins, but which Roman city didn't need a thermal bath right. You can only see the outlines now so it's a little lacking a bit of uniqueness, not that anyone would come here to see just the baths.

A must visit if you are in Sevilla.