Seville is the fourth largest city in Spain, the capital of Andalusia, and a seaport, despite the fact that is is more than 50 miles up the Guadalquivir river from the Atlantic Ocean. After occupations by the Carthaginians and Iberians, it became the main city of the Roman province of Baetica, and later was the capital of the Visigoths, and still later a significant Moorish city. Much later, the port served as the starting point for several voyages of discovery, including those of Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan.

Painters Velázquez and Murillo were born here. It is also the site of several operas: Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, and of course, The Barber of Seville.