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The natural pools of the Province of Seville

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Monuments

The St John Baptist Church is notable for its sheer size, robustness and beauty. It is located in the highest part of the village, on a hill that dominates a vast plain. A place of great strategic importance that has been inhabited since ancient times. This has been a defining element for the town. Its construction dates back to the eighteenth century, amid an economic boom. This involved demolishing first the old Mudejar-style parish church that stood there, which, in turn, had been built on the site of the town’s old castle. From an architectural point of view, it is the most remarkable building in the town. It rises above all other buildings. The building stands out for its superposition of volumes, including the sizeable main façade and the attached tower, or the gabled ceiling and the transept. The building is built in brick, masonry and rammed earth. The main chapel has a large, neoclassical, polychrome wood altarpiece (1798-1802) imitating marble. It has three panels separated by double Corinthian columns and a semi-circular gable. The original 18th-century, carved wooden doors from the time of the construction of the church have survived to this day. There are located at the choir (4), west end of the nave (4), Tabernacle Chapel (4), chancel on Epistle side (1), Presbytery (2), Sacristy (5) and Parish offices (3).

Monuments

San Pedro Street

Osuna has the best-preserved historic centre in Andalusia. In fact, it was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1967. San Pedro Street is the best place to admire the monumentality and obsessive passion of the Dukes of Osuna throughout history. The street is lined with stately houses and palaces that show the evolution of the different architectural styles that existed in Spain. For this, it is considered an open-air architecture museum. San Pedro Street is a monument of stone and art. This broad and straight street, which begins to slope halfway up its length, is lined with palaces and stately houses of great splendour. Worthy of note are the houses with classicist portals, powerful coats-of-arms and balconies with wrought-iron railings. The jewel of the crown is the Palace of the Marquises of La Gomera, with its imposing façade. Nonetheless, there are other outstanding buildings, including the 18th-century Cilla del Cabildo, the baroque Palacio de los Cepeda, from the same century, which is currently the courthouse, and a countless other houses and mansions of all sizes and styles. Indeed, UNESCO has declared this street one of the most beautiful in Europe. San Pedro is a picture-perfect that has attracted the interest of important film directors. Scenes from well-known productions, such as 'Carmen' by Vicente Aranda or 'Engaños' by Álvaro Begines were filmed here. Even the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli chose this street to shoot some of the scenes of his film on the Greek soprano Maria Callas, due to its elegance and historical significance.

Municipalities

El Castillo de las Guardas

El Castillo de las Guardas, nature in its purest form Visit El Castillo de las Guardas to discover an exceptional natural spot with incomparable surroundings that has been populated since the Stone Age. The urban area consists of 10 villages. Although each one has its own unique characteristics, they all share a common feature: the River Guadiamar. The source of the river is in one of the villages, very popular with the devotees of Our Lady of El Rocío who ford the river at Aznalcázar every year. It is worth taking a route through these villages to discover both their historical and natural treasures. The extensive pastures at El Castillo de las Guardas add to the beauty of the landscape. The fighting bulls from the sizeable Spanish stockbreeding farms graze here. The farms are deeply-rooted in the area and are fascinating to visit. El Castillo de las Guardas Nature Reserve, one of the most spectacular wildlife parks in Europe, is the most famous landmark. Located near the town’s old mine, it is home to more than 100 species kept in semi-open enclosures. You can also play paintball, go karting, or practise other multi-adventure sports. If there is one thing that characterises El Castillo de las Guardas, that is undoubtedly its fortified enclosure, for which the town was named following the Christian conquest. This town was a strategic lookout point on the Vía de la Plata. You will understand why when you enjoy the breathtaking views from the Cerro del Castillo Viewpoint. Stroll through the town centre to discover its attractive cultural heritage. Last but not least, enjoy the delicious local cuisine. Be sure to try the excellent cured meats and Iberian ham, as well as the typical dish, gandinga. This beautiful town on the Corredor de la Plata is a place not to be missed. Enjoy nature in its purest form. Getting to El Castillo de las Guardas If you travel by car from Seville, take the A-66 Ruta de la Plata motorway. Enter the N-433 at exit 782 to El Garrobo. Then, enter the A-433 until El Castillo de las Guardas. The town does not have a train station. However, you can take a bus from Plaza de Armas Bus Station in Seville. Getting around Wander through the streets and admire its architectural heritage. Various hiking routes allow you to discover the natural surroundings and the ten villages. El Castillo de las Guardas Nature Reserve has a tourist train that will conveniently shuttle you around. Reasons to visit Walk up to Cerro del Castillo Viewpoint to enjoy breathtaking views. Take a guided tour of a farm and see the fighting bulls up close. If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, practise the sport in the town’s natural setting. Spend a day with the animals at El Castillo de las Guardas Nature Reserve. Are you brave enough to swim with sea lions? Are you a thrill-seeker? You can go climbing, canoeing and much more. Sample the gandinga, the traditional local dish made with pork liver. Visit at Christmas to admire the beautifully decorated town and the live nativity scene at El Cerro del Castillo, which you will love. Explore the nearby villages to see the dolmens and the source of the River Guadiamar. What to see Begin your visit to El Castillo de las Guardas at the Plaza del Llano. The Town Hall and the main temple, San Juan Bautista Church, are located here. The church, built over the remains of an Arab cemetery and mosque, is named after the town’s patron saint. It is one of few churches in the province that look like a fortress. Head towards the remains of the old Castle, from which the town gets its name. Its tower was used to control the mineral ore transported from the Río Tinto Mines to the port of Seville. Go to the Cerro del Castillo Viewpoint to see the pastures and the River Guadiamar. The Plaza de Toros is another attractive building. What makes this bullring unique is that it only has grandstands on one side of the ring. Given the town’s bullfighting tradition, the locals are fervent bullfighting enthusiasts. If you continue through the streets, you will come across the Abrevadero Fountain, an emblem of the town. Its waters come from a spring that is about 300 metres away. It has been a local meeting point for centuries. The old washhouse has also been restored. Continue your visit to discover its other villages, for instance, the Shrine to San Antonio de Padua in La Alcornocosa or the source of the River Guadiamar at Valdeflores. However, if you want to learn more about the origins of this area, go to Las Cañadillas to see the so-called Lapa del Moro Dolmen, a Bronze Age burial mound. Last but not least, see the animals at El Castillo de las Guardas Nature Reserve and enjoy the multi-adventure activities it offers. It is the only park of its kind in the province. Places to visit La Inmaculada Concepción Chapel Shrine to San Antonio de Padua Abrevadero Fountain San Juan Bautista Parish Church Megaliths Remains of El Torreón Castle El Castillo de las Guardas Nature Reserve Plaza de Toros Town Hall Surroundings El Castillo de las Guardas is about 56 kilometres from Seville, in the tourist region of Vía de la Plata. The town is located in the first foothills of the Seville’s Sierra Morena and the River Guadiamar runs through its countryside. The municipal district encompasses ten villages: La Alcornocosa, Archidona, Arroyo de la Plata, La Aulaga, Las Cañadillas, El Cañuelo, Las Cortecillas, El Peralejo, Peroamigo and Valdeflores. The source of the Guadiamar River is in Valdeflores.

Museums and other exhibition spaces

Focus-Abengoa Campus

The origin of the Fundación Fondo de Cultura de Sevilla (Focus) has to be attributed to the cultural activity that the company Abengoa began in 1972 and that first became manifest in the edition of the work Temas Sevillanos. This cultural work, inspired and promoted by Abengoa, made its leaders see the importance of moving beyond their essential technological functions to embrace an activity that would benefit society as a whole. It was for these reasons that the Fundación Fondo de Cultura de Sevilla (Focus) was created in 1982. The Focus-Abengoa Campus is a meeting place located next to the Guadiamar Green Corridor in Sanlúcar la Mayor (Seville), whose main purpose is historical-landscape, archaeological, technological and environmental education. Its headquarters is the Casa Quemada estate, where there is an exhibition on the relationship between the historical and environmental heritage features of the area, the Solucar Platform, the various sources of energy and the changes in the landscape throughout history. There is also a projection room, where the documentary "From the Earth to the Sun" is shown, which focuses on the construction of the surrounding landscapes and the importance of clean energies. With the dissemination of the historical and environmental heritage of the Guadiamar Green Corridor as its main objective, the Focus-Abengoa Campus offers a full programme of activities for all audiences in its facilities, a place where archaeology, rural environment and clean energies converge.

Monuments

San Francisco Church

Originally a 15th-century Gothic building, the appearance was significantly altered in the 17th and 18th centuries to become a baroque-neoclassical Church. The central nave is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, the side naves with a groin vault and the presbytery by a dome on pendentives. The sexpartite vault and the star vaults on the side aisles, as well as the entrance through the atrium, are remains of the original temple, albeit significantly transformed. The interior of the temple consists of three naves with a transept, and a square main chapel that houses the main altarpiece with large estipetes began to be built in 1721. It contains the sculptures of Franciscan saints, such as St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua. Noteworthy altarpieces in the side naves include Our Lady of Hope, a sculpture by the studio of Jerónimo Hernández, and Our Lady of the Angels, a bust from the first third of the eighteenth century, both on the left side. On the right nave, the altarpiece of St Anthony of Padua with other Franciscan saints stands out, also in baroque style. The mid-18th-century belfry consists of two sections; the lower one with two semi-circular arches flanked by pilasters and topped by a split pediment from where emerges the second section, a single arch crowned by a triangular pediment. The whole ensemble is decorated with tiles.

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Recommended plans

Heritage

Culture

Natural Areas

Active tourism

Tourism à la carte

How to get there and move around

Where to sleep

Maps and Publications

Tourist offices

Tourist Services Companies

Tapas

Wines and liquors

Olives and oil

Iberian pig products and cheese

Rice and bread

Sweetmeats and mantecados

Our province

Our towns

Recommended plans: Natural pools