Rising above a sea of golden, sun-baked plains 35km east of Seville, Carmona is a delight. Known as the “shining star of Andalucia” its hilltop old town sparkles with noble palaces, majestic Mudéjar churches and two Moorish forts. Nearby, a haunting Roman necropolis recalls its ancient past.
The strategically sited town flourished under the Romans, who laid out a street plan that survives to this day: Via Augusta, running from Rome to Cádiz, entered Carmona by the eastern Puerta de Córdoba and left by the western Puerta de Sevilla. The Muslims subsequently built a strong defensive wall but in 1247 the town fell to Fernando III. Later, Mudéjar and Christian artisans constructed grand churches, convents and mansions.
