Only in Seville by Duncan J.D. Smith

La Macarena 32 The Palacio de las Dueñas La Macarena, the Palacio de las Dueñas at Calle Dueñas 5 Much of the district of La Macarena was once surrounded by Seville’s city wall. As a result, its streets are like those of neighbouring Santa Cruz, narrow and densely packed. Respite from the heat and bustle is provided by various leafy plazas , as well as the gardens of the enchant- ing Palacio de las Dueñas at Calle Dueñas 5. The palace is named after the Monastery of Santa María de las Due- ñas (from the Latin Dominus meaning Lord), which until the late-19th century stood opposite. Built in the late-15th century during Seville’s economic boom, it was originally home to the Pineda family, Lords of Casabermeja near Málaga. In 1496, the family was forced to sell up to raise ransom money to retrieve a family member imprisoned by the Moors. The new owner was noblewoman Catalina de Ribera (1447–1505), widow of the Gov- ernor of Andalucia, Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones (d. 1493). It was her descendants who shaped the palace into the building seen today. In 1612, it passed through marriage to the Dukes of Alba and it has re- mained their official residence ever since. In 2016, on the initiative of the 19th Duke, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, the palace was opened to the public. The palace is essentially Renaissance in style but like the contem- porary Casa de Pilatos, it incorporates Gothic and Mudéjar (Christian Moorish) elements (see no. 15). Access is by means of a neo-Classical carriage entrance emblazoned with the Dukes of Alba’s crest made with tiles (azulejos) from the ceramic workshops in Triana (see no. 47). This gives onto a leafy courtyard beyond which is the entrance (ape- adoro) to the palace proper. At its heart is the Patio Principal or main courtyard, a typically Andalucian feature. Here it consists of a green space divided into four on the principle of traditional Islamic paradise gardens, with a fountain in the centre and surrounded by a two-storey Mudéjar arcade, with Gothic balustrades above. Leading off the patio is a series of grand rooms containing art, an- tiques and ceramics accumulated by the Dukes of Alba, together with a selection of their letters and family photos. Highlights include La creación de Eva by the Florentine artist Francesco Furini (1600–1646) (famous for his sensual sfumato style), Cristo coronado de espinas by the Spanish Tenebrist painter José de Ribera (1591–1652), and a wa- tercolour by Jackie Kennedy (1929–1994) painted during her stay in 70