Plaza de España

If you have seen Star Wars Episode II, you have seen Plaza de España. The magnificent, arched plaza has been featured in many movies and rightly so. It’s large, covered in the ceramic patterns typical of Andalusia, offers rowboat rides on the “Venice of Seville”, and is right next to lush, green gardens. Plaza de España was created for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929 in a mock mudejar and art deco style. Rumor has it that the reason it's a semi-circle is because it's embracing the U.S. Along its walls are tiled alcoves representing all of Spain’s provinces and the balconies offer exceptional views of the plaza and its towers. Interestingly enough, many government offices have homes within the walls of the Plaza so it serves a functional purpose as well.