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Cities of Character

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Seville and opera, Toledo and literature

Some appeals are hard to resist: cities of timeless beauty like Seville and Toledo call out to be explored.
 
Impregnated with history, both cities’ winding lanes and pedestrian alleys are perfect for wandering, coming across majestic architectural gems and soaking up the atmosphere of a lively square.
 
With their multicultural past firmly imprinted on the streets’ very distinct identity, Seville and Toledo share more than undeniable charm.
 
These are cities of character and characters.
 
Cities full of romance and fascination, Seville and Toledo have long lived in our collective imagination through famous literary works and musical compositions.
Over four hundred years ago, Miguel de Cervantes claimed to have been strolling in Toledo’s marketplace when a little boy approached him to sell some papers, papers containing the story of the adventurer Don Quixote. Forever linked to Castilla-La Mancha, the Ingenious Nobleman conquered, if not the world, a warm spot in his reader’s hearts and imagination over generations.
 
The setting for over a hundred operas, Seville could be described as a city of librettos. A coup de cœur for opera writers, the city of Carmen, Figaro, Don Giovanni, and so many others has charmed audiences the world over since the eighteenth century. Indelibly tied to the music of tremendous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Bizet, Seville entered the realms of imagination as a place of magic, passion, and drama.
 
When in the mood for reverie, one can almost hear the distant voices of those many characters drifting over the rooftops.
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