CASA PILATOS: THE BEST PALACE IN SEVILLE

When our clients ask for places to visit in Seville on their free time or when they are architecture lovers and they want a private tour beyond the highlights of the city, we always recommend a visit to Casa Pilatos, a palace which keeps art, history and legends behind its walls.

It is a place to wander around, to absorb the tranquility and the scent of the past, to surrender to its charms, to appreciate every single detail (there are plenty of them)…it is one of those places that will always be recalled as a special place.

Casa Pilatos is a palace built in 1483 by Pedro Enriquez de Quiñones, IV Chief Governor of Andalucia, in a plot seized from a Jewish family in the inquisition. Now it serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli.

It is the biggest private civil palace (not royal) in Seville and it is considered the best prototype of an Andalusian palace.

On the architectural side, it is a great example of the Sevillian architecture of the 16th century. This noble palace boosts the perfect combination of Italian Renaissance style and the Spanish Mudejar style.

Its well-kept patio and gardens are a haven of peace, and the beautiful hand painted tiles (azulejos), which decorate almost every space in the palace, are considered to be among the finest in Seville.

Some other decorative elements not to be missed are the statues and busts of Roman emperors, the carved wood ceilings, the frescoes by Francisco Pacheco and the paintings by Sebastiano del Piombo, Luca Giordano or Francisco Goya.

If you are an architecture and history lover, the palace of Casa Pilatos is really worth a visit.