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Colonial losses that began in 1713 following the War of Spanish Succession reached their dénouement with Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898. In Andalucía this long decline meant grinding poverty and mass emigration.

Most of Europe’s butterflies are found here, along with mosquitoes, scorpions and tarantulas.

Here you’ll find four-person cabins with private bathroom, as well a campsite. It’s handy for the beach, there’s a TV room, dining room and various sports facilities.

This youth hostel is clean, although it is quite far away from the city centre. Its advantage, however, is that there are only two to a room and the bathrooms are all en-suite.

Despite its location to the south of Parque María Luisa, this hostel gets very booked up very quickly. It’s institutional, but a good budget option.

Located near the top of the ski station, with rooms holding two to six, ideal for skiers in the winter or trekkers in the summer. They will also rent skis and other equipment.

Wrought-iron and other metal pieces that might tempt you include tin lamps from Úbeda, grilles from Arcos de la Frontera and Torredonjimeno, cowbells from Cortegana and locks from Estepona and Cártama.

Isabel of Castilla and Fernando of Aragón (1479– 1516) were dubbed “The Catholic Monarchs”.

This amusement park occupies part of what was Expo ’92. One of its themes is to recreate the exploits of the explorers who set out from Seville on voyages of discovery in the 16th century – rides have names such as Jaguar, Anaconda and Orinoco.

These wind-blown ruins were once the third largest city in the Roman empire, founded in 206 BC and home to some half a million people during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century. He was following in the glorious footsteps of his predecessor Trajan, who was another Itálica native. There’s a huge amphitheatre to explore, as well as some fine mosaics amid the crumbling walls. Most of the wonders are still buried, however, while others have long since been quarried for their stone or moved to the Archaeological Museum in Seville (see Museo Arqueológico).