View of Écija from the Palace of Benamejí
There is no doubt that Ecija it is a monumental city. It is full of palaces, churches, noble buildings and family coats of arms that adorn facades and arcades. It is also a town of blue pots that give color to narrow white streets that smell of stew, roasted peppers and incense. With Cobbled streets where car tires screech thanks to the spray of thousands of droplets of wax during the processions. Ecija has shoe stores with signs that remind you that work is paid when you order it, florists who notify with a piece of paper on the door that their person in charge is fixing the church _(sorry for the inconvenience) _ or groceries where some large letters, by hand, warn that it is a store "for life" where the shopkeeper knows his client. Écija is for beer and gentlemen, of humble people, traditional cuisine and a lot of history. Also of cool nights and oppressive summers. That's why we go to visit her when spring is knocking on the door.
The flower season is in the countryside. Demonstrated the millions of yellow flowers that carpet the surroundings of Écija. The rapeseed cultivation It seems that it has come to stay and replace more traditional ones such as wheat or sunflower. Beyond its many uses (even for biodiesel), this plant gives an incredible color to a municipality that has been dedicated to agriculture since the beginning of time thanks to its scarcity of mountains. While, dandelions , distant cousins of rapeseed at first glance, conquer with their pale yellow any corner of the road, huge abandoned meadows and even the roofs of the Ecijan houses.
rapeseed field
A good place to start the visit to the town is the Spain Square , eternal starting point of Écija and popularly known as the living room, perhaps because it serves as this room in the city and that it even has a ancient roman pond . A huge esplanade where the winter sun heats up to over 20 degrees, which means that its bars and terraces have a lively life during the day (quite the opposite of the height of summer when the figure doubles). In one of its corners -the one that hooks with the More and Prat Street and raising one's gaze to the sky, one discovers the surprising balconies of the Silk Guild House . Looking up in Écija is not a bad idea: wherever you look, there is one standing out anywhere, it is also called The city of towers.
Tower of the Church of San Juan from the Plaza de España
A few meters away is the food market , a place as humble as it is perfect to get to know the essence of the ** Andalusian towns .** The traditional Ecijan spinach competes in color with other vegetables from the region, which seem to want to reach the many snails that fit in a mesh that It sells for five euros. This is precisely one of the local snacks that can be tasted at the Juan Manuel brewery , in the courtyard of the market. **Flamenquines, oxtail or baby squid** in green sauce are also part of the culinary offer that is enjoyed by those who have already fulfilled their daily obligations together with a tourist who looks as if they had lost their way. Fish stalls, butchers, florists and even pottery from La Rambla share space in the food market, where there is also an office for the La Conchi Bakery , famous for its muffins .
the alleys Slavic and Zayas then arrive at the Square of Our Lady of the Valley , with the enormous Iglesia Mayor de Santa Cruz, with the oldest remains dating back to the Visigoth period and whose foundations suffered in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. In addition, it is the final stop of the Official Race in Ecijan Holy Week . Opposite is the Palacio de los Palma, private like almost all those in the municipality but which can be visited: it is surprising to walk through an interior with luxurious furniture where frames with historical and current photos of the family rest at weddings, baptisms and communions.
Food Market
Back in the Plaza de España, we can get lost in the Plaza de Santa María and the streets Conde, La Marquesa, Santa Ángela de la Cruz and Cánovas del Castillo , who continue to help us to know what Écija is all about. And it goes from innumerable notable buildings like the courthouse , popularly known as House of the Tomases, with beautiful Sevillian tilework and amazing historicist-style arches in the image and likeness of the Alhambra in Granada. Along the way, religious buildings (such as the Church of Santiago, in the square of the same name) lead to one of the most interesting places in the city, the Palace of Benameji . There is the Municipal Historical Museum , a Tourist Office, a restaurant and some beautiful stables: a perfect space to, now, fully understand where we are.
Penaflor Palace
Different rooms of the building -which was a barracks during the Napoleonic invasion- allow us to go to the root of what is today Écija but once was Astigi . From the Iberian-Roman necropolis of Cerro de Bowling at the foot of the Tartessian culture, but above all discover the traces of the Roman Empire. Millions of amphorae then left for the Genil River to Rome full of oil (which today are part of the Mount Testaccio in the Italian capital), giving weight and importance to the colony of Astigi, whose municipal term reached Martos (Jaén) and included cities such as Granada, Antequera and Osuna. The power of the Ecijano during Roman times is evident in the enormous mosaics that can be seen in this museum, which also deals with the Visigoth culture, Al Andalus or the Christian takeover of the city until today. A review that is short and can be continued with the visit to the Wounded Amazon , a sculpture discovered 15 years ago and of great interest, with only three other similar ones that can be seen in Copenhagen, New York and Berlin. To finish, it is advisable to climb one of the museum's viewing towers via spiral stairs. Up, a beautiful 360-degree panoramic view of the town tells us that we still have a lot to see.
The Wounded Amazon, in the Palace of Benajemí
Also from the Plaza de España we quickly arrive at Emilio Castelar street, where one of the most amazing Ecijan palaces is located: that of Penaflor , with more than 60 meters of incredible balconies and scaffolding that covers a good part of the frescoes on the facades for restoration in an attempt to remove this 7,000 square meter building from the ** Red List of Heritage **. In its corner, moreover, if you look to the south you will run into the tower of the Church of San Gil, very close to the Plaza de Armas where less than two years ago National Geographic c The discovery of a unique new Roman mosaic awaited. To the north, you will see the tower of the church of San Juan.
the of San Juan It is precisely one of the temples that can catch your attention even if yours are not the brotherhoods or Holy Week. Part of the main building collapsed during the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and, although the nobles of Ecija wanted to rebuild it later, they never finished it. Today that area is outdoors and is used as amphitheater for concerts and events . What did remain standing is the sacramental chapel , which today houses a good number of Christian carvings of great artistic value. At its door you will find Salvador ready to explain what you need, who goes out of his way to ensure that the visitor has the best information about the church and, incidentally, about Écija. Dates and authors of each element of the temple are only part of the great wisdom of this man, who also invites you to go up to the bell tower to observe another panoramic view of the town. Another great place to see the 26 churches, 11 towers, 29 belfries and 30 palaces of Écija.
Church of Saint John
Those that are not so easy to see from the heights are the bars and restaurants, which in this city are few. A few meters from the entrance to the church of San Juan is located the Bar La Reja , one of the great Ecijan classics. From the bar, Manolo will ask you as soon as you enter questions such as: "A beer, family?" , to then offer you a menu full of local proposals and meat as one of the main protagonists. Iberian loin, suckling lamb chops or garlic chicken compete with the artichokes with Iberian ham. The ham is one of those you will always remember and, also, accompanies the wonderful Salmorejo from La Reja. It is worth tasting everything calmly and discovering the stories behind the baroque decoration of this tavern based on illustrations of corners of the town, hams hanging from the ceiling and photos and bullfighting canvases, among which Curro Romero waving to the line
Beside him is the Stiff Hairs Tavern , another well-known place where they give you some snails as well as a stew, some migas or blood with onions. Something similar to Four Doors Tavern , next to the Plaza de España, on a route that can take us to ** Hispania **, with a long menu full of meat, fish, rice, scrambled eggs, salads and its proposals called new sensations, which range from a burrito Iberian pork with prawn candies and creamy cheese. And in 30 seconds you can get back to the Palace of Benameji , inside which is the The Nymphs restaurant.
Secret Muffin at Las Ninfas
On its terrace, the building's own entrance, you can feel like the nobility taking the rich cuisine of this place. Some heart-shaped rolls will serve to dip the sauce when you finish the delicious cuttlefish meatballs, although you can also opt for an Iberian pork and caramelized onion muffin or some wonderful carved spinach. These are just three of the many delicious snacks on offer at this restaurant, where numerous wine tastings are organized and where you can try one of the best organic oils in the town called 1948 Oil . If you're still hungry, the tavern in front of the palace also offers, at a different pace, many local cuisine proposals. Or you can also stop by the restaurant of the Pirula Hotel to taste a marvelous rice with partridge or for the Hotel Campina del Rey to try the stew of stewed beans with chorizo and black pudding. For dessert, some yolks El Ecijano or some Moroccan biscuits traditionally made by the nuns of the Convent of Franciscan Conceptionists but what today do the sisters of the convent of Saint Florentine. Who cares, they are still just as rich.
Teleclub Alley
To finish, nothing better than walking along the r Iberian River Genil along the Saint Paul's Park , with a lively life almost daily and a bike lane. Or discover the iron railway bridge, forged in Eiffel's workshops in Paris at the end of the 19th century. Without forgetting that beyond the Plaza de España and the historic center, beyond the city walls, there is still a lot of Écija , many palaces and many churches to visit.
House of Ecija