A short 14-km drive from the Andalusian capital of Seville, sits Hacienda la Bodeguilla, an olive tree farm whose existence is known after the foundation in 1414 of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista in the city of Seville. His community of Jerónimos friars developed an intense religious and cultural activity earning the favor of aristocracy and royalty, given the good management of these monks with finances and business matters. The Monastery hosted such historical luminaries as Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand and also King Phillip IV.

At some point in the 16th century, the Monastery acquired the property where Hacienda La Bodeguilla is located today in order to ensure the provision of food and to be able to trade with the agricultural and livestock production that took place there. In it, a small community of Jeronimos friars was established and they worked on the farm and expanded the place by building a church and a convent. Unfortunately at the end of the XVII century, due to a series of expropriations of property and land of the Church, the convent passed into private hands.

The farm, or finca, totals an expansive 280-acres and has been family-owned for four generations. It is located in the Aljarafe region in the province of Seville within the limits of the municipalities of Almensilla, Bollullos de la Mitación and Mairena del Aljarafe.

Entrants to the farm will be charmed the moment they pull in, greeted by a long albero-laid path ringed on both sides by olive trees, which dot the entirety of the farm. Albero, the yellow-hued soil, found in Spain’s bull rings gives the farm its golden glow and is present throughout. The entrance leads straight to the main house.

The farmhouse has always been a source of joy for its owner—a place for family and friends to gather each summer to take in its landscaped splendor. Back in the days, the owners used to offer lodging and refreshments to pilgrims bound for the Romeria de El Rocio in their horses and stagecoaches. A mass was offered in the small chapel that still remains as such. Now, they are opening La Bodeguilla to you.

The foundation of many of the original buildings still exists, but the owner has restored and renovated other portions, while keeping true to its historical roots. For instance, the original Almazara or oil mill (which in a prior life was a church), the building used to press the olives and extract their oil, remains as a connection to the past. However, it has been fully renovated into the grand El Molino, a majestic space of wood and brick and soaring beams that now hosts special events, such as weddings. In fact, the idea to renovate the space came as a result of the owner’s own daughter being married there.

This Hacienda is still active today as a farm in the olive grove and is now fully operational for all types of events and promises to deliver a wow factor beyond reproach.

Hacienda La Bodeguilla