Roman Ruins In Seville Spain

[Plautus]

If you are ever traveling in Southern Spain and find yourself in the City of Seville, drop in at their Roman archaeological dig just outside town called Ciudad Italica. I don't recall the original ancient name but it was founded by Scipio Africanus in 218BC and claimed it was the birthplace of Trajan. At the time I visited in 1997 most of it was still unexcavated, but they had unearthed the amphitheater, some of the Forum and a few villas. What was fun was unlike the Italian Forum where much is closed off, you could wander freely through the buildings. This was most dramatic in the amphitheater It was like having a smaller version of the Colosseum to oneself. PLus it's sunny and the Sangria is killer!

[Favonius Cornelius]

I'd love to go if I could. If I were a rich man I would travel around Europe and fund/participate in archaeological digs.

[Silentium]

Yes, birthplace of Trajan and also Hadrian..I visited it last year, I toured Andalusia and stopped in Santiponce which is the nearby village. Half of Italica (vetus urbs, the older part) is basically "under" Santiponce, the villagers used most of the ancient roman buildings, rebuilt them and settled there. The nova urbs (which was built thanks to Hadrian) is visible, I did visit the amphiteatre and the various patrician buildings, impressive. But I'm not sure letting people wander freely in certain parts of the forum romanum would be a good idea..I think Italica and Roma are evidently two different realities. Besides, the most important places in the forum are open to the public. I'm sure when they're done excavating the vetus urbs things will be different for Italica too.