Very close to our apartment in La Macarena is the Alameda de Hércules or just La Alameda. It was built in 1574 and named after the eight rows of white poplar trees (álamos) in the centre.
There are two giant Roman pillars at each end of the Alameda. One pair is topped with statues of Julius Caesar and Hércules, who according to the legends, were the two founding fathers of Seville.
The two columns at the south end of La Alameda were taken from a site on Calle Mármoles near the Santa Cruz neighbourhood of Seville. The columns were constructed in the time of Emperor Hadrian (end of 1st century, beginning of 2nd century AD) and are made of Egyptian marble with local marble bases.
Here you can see the remaining columns at the original level, which is 4.5 m/14.7 ft below current street level.
Over the centuries La Alemada went from being an elegant area to a run-down district filled with brothels and drug dealers by the late 1980’s.
It was revitalized and mostly pedestrianized beginning in 2006 and is now once again a safe and lively place to visit. It’s lined with laid-back tapas bars, kiosks and cafes, and we have eaten at several including Duo Tapas, Café Piola, Karpanta, and Restaurante Arte y Sabor.
