Tiles

As well as orange trees, Seville is full of painted tiles - on every building, every wall, every floor, everywhere. Today we went across the river to the district of Triana, which was where all the potters were and tiles (‘azulejos’) were made.

The reason a ceramics industry grew up in Triana was because the necessary raw materials - water and clay - were provided by the river Quadalquivir. The clay, known as ‘barro’ (‘mud’) has a texture ideal for moulding.

There is a long history of pottery making in Triana, but now all the potters have gone, the factories closed down. In the former ‘Cerámica Santa Ana’ factory there is now a museum, where the history of the industry, with all the processes used, is told amongst the remaining kilns, some dating from the 16th century. Then there is a gallery of examples of pottery through the ages. Fascinating!

The extra photo is the entrance to the ‘Centro Ceraámica Triana’ showing some of the decorative tile work. My blip was taken as we walked through the area towards the bridge - it is just one example of the beautifully painted buildings and tiles used to form one picture . . . and of course shadows because of the sunshine!

We have spent the rest of the day wandering the streets and sitting in the sun. It might be cool enough for coats, but the blue sky and sunshine make it very pleasant indeed.

We have had a lovely couple of days in what is a very fine city. I don’t know why we have not been here before - we will definitely return.