The ruins of ancient Itálica, the first Roman city founded on the Iberian Peninsula, are extensive and, in parts, quite spectacular. Broad paved streets lead to the remains of houses set around beautiful mosaic-laid patios and, best of all, a stunning 25,000-seat amphitheatre, one of the largest ever built. The city, founded in 206 BCE and later the birthplace of emperors Trajan and Hadrian, enjoyed a golden age in the 2nd century CE, when many of its finest buildings were constructed.
Highlights include the Casa de los Pájaros (House of the Birds), the Edificio de Neptuno (Building of the Neptune Mosaic), and the Casa del Planetario (House of the Planetarium), with a mosaic depicting the gods after whom the seven days of the week were named.