The Santa Cruz neighbourhood of Seville, the city's former Jewish quarter, is the most photogenic and recognisable corner of the Andalusian capital. Its urban layout — a labyrinth of narrow lanes lined with whitewashed houses, intimate squares with centuries-old orange trees, pots of geraniums and the ever-present scent of orange blossom — developed as a Jewish quarter from the Almohad period until the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. After the expulsion, the neighbourhood was repopulated by converts and Castilian families who kept the medieval urban structure intact, which is why its streets remain just as narrow, winding and charming as they were six hundred years ago. Among its essential spots are Calle Agua, the Plaza de Doña Elvira, the mysterious Callejón del Agua and the Hospital de los Venerables, which houses the Velázquez Centre with masterpieces by the Sevillian painter.
Next to the Real Alcázar, Seville
