From Sevilla we headed to Portugal, but first made time for a short stop at the Roman ruins of Italica just north-west of Sevilla. Although the site is small, it boasts high quality mosaics used as floor tiling in homes as well as a relatively intact amphitheater from around the time of its founding in 206 BC. As you can see from the mosaic above, the Roman artists had a sense of humor, since the bird is eating a lizard, and another in that mosaic is poking a farmer in the gluteus maximus (yup Latin, feel free to look for that in the flickr pictures). In ancient times Italica was an important city-state for the Romans, but after changes in the river flow around 1000 AD the city was set high and dry and people abandoned the site (there are even paintings from the middle ages showing the farmers in the foreground with the dilapidated Roman city in the background). Apparently the main reason the mosaics and city remains survived is thanks to the Catholic church, which until shortly owned the land, and volunteers who continuously clean grit and dust from the mosaic tiles while continuing further excavations. Next up: Beaches, Coves and Relaxation in Portugal's Algarve
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