On the recommendation of a trusted friend and fellow traveler, I took an impromptu tour of Italica, a Roman city that was settled in the 1st century BCE. I’ve never been to an archaeological site where a dig is still in process, they’ve actually only excavated a small portion of the site and have a lot more to do!

The part that has been excavated is the newest part which was inhabited by only the very wealthy (and of course their servants and slaves). How do we know they were the rich and famous? By the size of their homes and the absolutely stunning quality of their mosaics many of which were created using marble imported from Italy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such amazing in situ mosaics before.

The other highlight of Italica is its Arena which is also featured in Game of Thrones (the final scene when the rulers all gather to determine who will be chose as the next ruler of them all). We entered in by the “Death gate” which is where the bodies of the animals and gladiators who died would be removed from (out of sight so as not to upset the viewers).

There will be one final Seville post when I have a bit more energy, will probably write it on the train to Granada!