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The ground behind you: what the walk into Santiponce / Itálica crosses, and where it could have been broken.
Tomorrow from Santiponce / Itálica
Nothing says you have to stop here, or there. These are simply the towns within a comfortable day's walk, so you can decide tonight.
| Town | km from here | Shared | Private | The walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guillena | 13.4 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Santiponce / Itálica to Guillena |
| Castilblanco de los Arroyos | 31.2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Santiponce / Itálica to Castilblanco de los Arroyos |
Italica deserves a half-day even if Roman ruins aren't normally your thing. Founded in 206 BC, this was the first Roman settlement in Hispania and the birthplace of emperors Trajan and Hadrian.
Before you reach the ruins, the Monasterio de San Isidoro del Campo is at the southern end of town. It's free, but they only open the doors on the hour — time your arrival. Continue north along the main road to the Teatro Romano, then to the Anfiteatro. The amphitheatre held 25,000 spectators and is one of the largest in the empire. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognize it as the Dragonpit from Season 8.
The mosaic floors in the excavated houses are remarkably well preserved — the Casa de los Pajaros and Casa del Planetario are highlights. Much of what was portable has been moved to the Museo Arqueologico de Sevilla for safekeeping.
Italica was founded by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus to settle Roman veterans wounded in the Battle of Ilipa during the Second Punic War. It grew into one of the great cities of Roman Hispania. Trajan, born here in 53 AD, became the first emperor from a province rather than Rome itself. His adopted son and successor Hadrian — of wall fame — was also from Italica.
The camino leaves Santiponce along the same road that it came in on. Shortly after passing the archaeological site of Itálica it once again does a little dance around the highway on-ramps. Here, keep on this road to pass under the highway. Immediately after the last ramp (the northbound one), the camino splits but the split is not really marked.
The official route, at times flooded, leaves the road to follow a path on your left. This is the preferred route when it is passable and it is a straight path towards Guillena.
The alternate route adds about 5km to the camino but may be the only option after heavy rains. The start of it is not marked and you need only to continue along the road where the official route leaves it. Keep to the left side of the road and mind the traffic. The camino gets to the edge of a large town called La Algaba but doesn’t actually enter it. Instead, it skirts around the town to the left and you soon have the option to walk along a dirt path adjacent to the road.... or along the road if needed. Keep an eye open for the signs, and arrows, which will eventually lead you away from the road (left) along a dirt road. This path is well marked and used by service trucks for the local industry. It passes through citrus groves and the occasional cotton field before rejoining a different road to enter the village of Torre de la Reina.
15. November 2024 - 20:17
They have shifted the official route
The old one still exists as a path but is clearly signed as “do not go this way”
Instead there is a new road to the right, which has proper bridges. It is possibly fractionally longer - but not 5km longer!
7. May 2019 - 11:35
Just listened to a fellow pilgrim (women in her 30s walking alone) recall her very uncomfortable experience on the camino trail in the vicinity of Santiponce on May 2nd. A man followed her on a motorbike from a distance. When she stopped on the path to take a rest break he parked his motorbike not too far from her and momentarily dissappeared. Suddenly, she looked up at some nearby bushes and there he was with his pants down staring at her and 'cooking his cucumber' - She didn't report him to the police for fear of not being taken seriously or ignored. We need to keep our trails safe for everyone so please please report inappropriate and offensive behaviour like this to the local police and Camino forums.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
