Lou Llobell’s insider guide to Seville

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Spanish is my mother tongue. We arrived in Seville from Zimbabwe when I was small, just one year old, and lived there until I was eight. My favourite memories are of long family lunches at home and my grandma bringing us churros every Saturday morning. I’m now based in London, and when I land in Seville I go straight to my uncles’ houses. Being here is about spending time with friends and family – my uncles are both.

The heart and flair of the city inspired me to express myself creatively

Sevillians are creative storytellers; everyone seems to sing or play instruments. I’ve ended up at lock-ins where someone starts playing the guitar, then suddenly the whole room is singing. Watching Sevillian flamenco, Sevillanas, is heartbreaking, even if you don’t understand what they’re saying. I remember being moved intensely by a show I saw next to the Setas installation, a mushroom-shaped structure that overlooks the city which you can walk up. The heart and flair of the city inspired me to express myself creatively; I started acting by performing little plays at my abuela’s [grandma’s] house.

A tapa should always be free. Order a little caña beer at a bar and you’ll get one alongside it. Old-school places such as Casa Vizcaíno are continuing the tradition. One of the best kinds of tapa is a matrimonio, a marriage of one dark salted anchovy and one white vinegar-cured one on top of bread with salmorejo, which is like gazpacho. Casa Moreno, on the far side of the old town, also does montadito – a tapa on toast – which you can get with morcilla or sobrasada. A lot of bars don’t actually have tables, so if you’re eating and drinking in Seville, you’re probably standing. Even at home, my aunt hates having chairs at birthday parties.

Alameda, a neighbourhood with lots of bars, cafés and restaurants, is a good base. The Corner House hotel, which my friend’s mum owns, has a beautiful terrace and a downstairs restaurant, El Disparate. Nearby, Bodega Mateo Ruiz is a great spot for bacalao frito (fried cod). My uncle knows the family: they’ve been there forever. Most of them are deaf, so they read your lips to take your order. It’s just off Feria, a lovely street to wander around and visit vintage shops – Wonder and Antro are particularly good. I bought a lime-green leather jacket at Antro; it was my first vintage purchase and fits me perfectly.

Walking around Seville, you notice an interesting merge of cultures in the Moorish architecture – the arches, tiles and striped buildings – that feels different from the rest of Spain. One of these traditional buildings, an old tile factory, has been reimagined as the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo and filled with immersive modern art. I remember seeing a giant woman’s head in a window, with her hand poking out next door. In the centre of the city, you can go to the Palacio de las Dueñas for its gardens or the Casa de Pilatos to see Sevillian azulejo glazed tiles.

What makes the city Sevillian is how it holds Catholic influences too. In the lead up to Easter, Semana Santa – an elaborate parade where brotherhoods in robes and pointy capirotes carry statues from church to church – is the most famous week in the calendar.

At five in the morning you stop and have a churro

Two weeks later, we have the feria, when the area between Tablada and Los Remedios turns into a village of colourful casetas (striped tents). The owners of each tent invite people in to drink rebujito (Manzanilla wine mixed with 7-Up). People ride around in horse and carriages and everyone dances and sings in the streets. Women turn out in their best flamenco dress, and when a song starts playing, one of the four Sevillanas flamenco dances starts (everyone knows the steps). At five in the morning you stop and have a churro; the best are from a stand on the Canal de Alfonso XIII, Los Especiales.

The summer is just obscene; it’s still 40 degrees at 10pm. From around October, it’s cooler but warm enough to sit outside. There’s a beautiful restaurant, MaríaTrifulca, with an incredible terrace on the canal. I got lucky with a table the other day and watched the sun go down over dinner.

But my favourite time in Seville is when we are all together. Whenever I go back – spring, summer or autumn – I’m anchored by our family’s traditions. During the week, I know where everyone will be. I haven’t lived there for 12 years, but these things always stay the same.