The sizzling valley town in Spain that’s actually bigger than New York

IT’S not Madrid, nor is it Barcelona. But the Spanish town larger than New York City is an Adalusian town called Écija.

Located in the Sevilla province, Écija covers 979 km², whereas New York City covers 789 km². Écija is known as ‘The Frying Pan of Andalusia’ with famously high temperatures in summer. 

READ MORE: HIDDEN CORNERS: Michael Coy continues his series about some of the lesser known spots in Spain, this time in Écija

Écija is also seven times the size of Paris, covering 13,000 football fields.

But – despite these massive figures – Écija is still considered a village due to its small population size of around 40,000 people.

The town, located in a valley, is a popular tourist destination, with many heritage attractions including the Écija Cathedral, several palaces and Baroque style buildings.

These monuments have watched over the town’s history, which spans from Roman times to the Middle Ages.

Its central meeting place, The Plaza de España, is an iconic example of traditional Andalusian architecture with whitewashed walls and blooming orange trees. 

READ MORE: Ecija: A visit to the charming city known as ‘the frying pan’ of Spain