During a long weekend in Seville, we visited the Alcázar Palace on a gloriously hot day in August. Whilst the weather looks perfect in photographs, it was in fact 42 degrees centigrade and so our visit to the gardens was not as long as I would have liked as Siesta called! The good thing though about the boiling weather was that the palace was not crowded and we could amble around the gardens at our leisure.
The extensive gardens have undergone many changes in the life of the palace which was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 1987. The gardens extend over seven hectares and are surrounded by walls of varying age and colours. The different areas of the garden reflect the periods of time that have passed since this glorious place was built. Over hundreds of years, areas of the palace and gardens have been extended and changed giving the whole complex distinctly different areas. In the main, the gardens are formal gardens with water being a major part of the Moorish design in the form of rills and pools. The gardens would have been planted to provide food for the palace but also for pleasure.
Moving away from the Palace lay The Garden of the Poets with pools and rills of water. The planting is of palm, cypress, myrtle, mulberries, magnolia, orange and lemon trees.
The gardens of the Alcázar of Seville have undergone many changes. In the 16th century during the reign of Philip III the Italian designer Vermondo Resta introduced the Italian Mannerist style. He was responsible for changing an old wall into a viewing Loggia to enable visitors to admire parts of the gardens. This is a fabulous spot to take photographs of the garden as you get to look down and admire the views.
View towards the main garden with pools.
Nearest the Palace buildings lies the Mercury Pond, named after the God, Mercury. This pool was made in 1586 and as it lies higher than other parts of the garden acting as a reservoir for many of the other water features nearby. This area of the garden is known as The Garden of the Reservoir.
The Gardens of Alcázar of Seville were amazing and I would love to go back in the Spring to see the orange blossom and to visit without battling such boiling temperatures. So many kings and queens have walked in these gardens and there is so much history that one afternoon is not enough.
My advice? Take your time and visit for a couple of days.
A blog about my life in The Old House, a mum to teenagers, a primary school teacher and my passion for gardening.
The Garden of the Poets – how romantic!
It was! X
Reblogged this on Blog Pad 2017.
Thank you Henrietta. x
You are welcome!
SO stunning!! The formal gardens and the wine cellar … oh my!! You must have been in heaven!
I was. It is the one Garden I will have to revisit as it was so stunningly beautiful. x
What a wonderful place! The irony is that in Sicily there are lost of Spanish and Arab influences in architecture, and there you find an Italian designer. Stunning pics, hope you enjoyed it.
Ahh well maybe I will have to travel to Sicily one day. Thanks for the comment, lovely. x
Thanks for such an interesting and comprehensive post, the photos help me to “see” the gardens.
You are very welcome. x
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Look at those gardens. I am completely wooed by them. xx
They are stunning! You must visit. x
Looks absolutely amazing, and I do love a good rill!
Oh me too!
I love going to the Alcazar. Not been for a while though. I live in Seville and really wanna take my kids, hopefully I get a chance before they go back to school.
Such a romantic spot in Seville too. I’ve sat in the gardens there many a more just watching and writing.
Great photos too.
Do you think you will go back?
I really hope so Barry!! I absolutely LOVED the city! What a superb place to live!
I absolutely love the architecture! My favorite was the wine cellar arches, they are fantastic!
Thanks for joining us this week! #GlobalBlogging
Thanks for the follow btw Heather. x
Look at all those intricate details. Can you imagine how long it took to do that! From the tiles to the gardens. It looks gorgeous! #globalblogging
It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I can’t stop talking about it!
I’m so envious of your visit there. Love the history and architecture and beautiful plantings. POCL
You must go! I keep telling everyone! It’s such an amazing city. x
Thank you for this lovely post. What a beautiful garden! I love Islamic Gardens- their use of water, their abundance, their design and tilework- and the wine cellars are breathtakingly beautiful! This garden will definitely go on my bucket list!!!
It should Jane. It was so stunning and tranquil. X
Looks absolutely beautiful! How stunning are the wine cellars?! #MyGloriousGardens.
It was so beautiful 😍
I love Holiday Horticulture!! Make a point of visiting botanical gardens when travelling just to see what’s going on – there’s always something new to find.
Me too!! I love visiting gardens. X
the gardens are stunning, the 3rd photo with the palm trees looks similar to the gardens in the Winter Palace in Luxor #pocolo
Oh yes! I went there for my honeymoon! Thank you for commenting. X
Such a gorgeous place to explore and get lost in X #pocolo
Beautiful pictures, that garden is amazing! #PoCoLo
Thanks Claire
Oh my stars how magnificent of a space. So jealous.
Thanks for linking up to #globalblogging
It was beautiful
Oh that looks so beautiful! I would love to visit. #PoCoLo
It looks absolutely gorgeous #pocolo
It was. X
Sevill is one of the most beautiful places
It truly is.
I live in Bath, UK which is pretty but Seville is stunning ❤️
Wow these photos are just stunning! And the Garden of Vega Inclan – I just want to sit there for hours and take myself off in my own world. Beautiful! But that heat – all the siestas! Beautiful photo blog and popping this on the list of places to visit one day #DreamTeam
Ooh thank you Helen! It was a fantastic city for a long weekend.So much to see and do. The teens loved it.
Absolutely breathtaking gardens #DreamTeam
They are. X
Reblogged this on Gardening Ways and commented:
Another garden visit added to my bucket list! A lovely blog post from ‘Old House in the Shires’.
Thanks Gary! Thats great! It should be on your bucket list….it was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat!