Carmona

Carmona stands on a ridge above the Guadalquivir plain and has been fortified since Carthaginian times, with Julius Caesar calling it the strongest town in the province. Two Roman gates survive in the walls: the Puerta de Sevilla, incorporated into a later Moorish and Christian fortification, and the Puerta de Cordoba with its Roman arch. Outside the walls lies the necropolis, a Roman burial ground of the first centuries BC and AD with hundreds of tombs cut into the rock, including chambered family vaults with painted walls, the Tomb of the Elephant and the large Servilia tomb. The town above holds Mudejar churches, convents and the Alcazar del Rey Don Pedro, part of which is now a parador.

What you actually see

• The Roman necropolis - hundreds of rock-cut tombs including painted chambers.
• The Puerta de Sevilla - a Roman gate inside a later fortress.
• The Puerta de Cordoba - a Roman arch on the eastern walls.
• The Alcazar - a royal fortress above the plain, partly a parador.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the plain below is green in spring and the town is severely hot in July and August. The necropolis closes on Mondays and shuts early in summer afternoons.

Honest expectations

The necropolis is exposed with almost no shade. Several churches and convents keep short irregular hours. Parking within the walls is difficult and most visitors leave cars outside.

Nearby

Seville lies thirty-three kilometres west; Ecija and Osuna are further east.