DAY 4 - CARMONA
 
We made two day trips out of Seville, the first to Carmona which was 35 km East of the City.  The town sits on a small hill overlooking a valley.  It was strategically placed by the Romans on a road running from Rome to Cadiz which lies on the coast to the West.

We took the bus from Seville, very cheap tickets. Our first port of call was the Alkazar de la Puerta de Sevilla - the impressive Eastern gate into the town.

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This is one element of the fortification of the town.  The building contains a museum and you can climb to the roof level where the Romans built a temple.  There were some splendid views across the surrounding countryside and over the town.
 
 



 


The main church is the Inglesia Prioral de Santa Maria de las Asuncion built mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries on the site of a former mosque.

The main altar
A detail of the roof







We moved on to the Convento de Santa Clara with its cloistered courtyard




The dazzling gilt altarpiece - more Spanish Baroque
A quiet courtyard at the convent
The bell tower added in the 18th century
The Eastern Gate
The view out of the Eastern Gate across the surrounding countryside



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