Walk up the hill from the bullring, and you will soon find yourself at the foot of a wide flight of stone steps leading to the imposing wooden doors of the Merced Carmelite Convent. The first Carmelites were male hermits, former pilgrims and crusaders who gathered together in 1155 AD at Mount Carmel in Palestine, close by the fountain of Elijah, and dedicated themselves to a life of austerity, poverty and prayer.
Ronda's extensive walls, murallas, were begun by its Moorish rulers in the 13th century, renovated in the 16th by the Christians the earlier walls were built to keep out, and parts are still being rebuilt in the 21st century. Originally, this feat of medieval engineering wrapped the entire city, and must have made it one of the most securely defended settlements of its time.
By far the loveliest public space in Ronda, this leafy square boasts an embarrassment of monuments. Its star is the Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mayor, whose exquisite belltower suggests Renaissance twinned with Toytown. This is another church commissioned by the Reyes Catolicos, sited with some purpose on the ruins of a mosque, believed to have been the centre of prayer in the Arabic Medina.
Behind the Plaza de Toros are Ronda's spectacular walkways celebrating two famous visitors, the Paseos de Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, both great aficionados of the corrida and just two of the stellar international figures who became associated with Ronda over the years.
Pedro Romero did not "invent" bullfighting. The origins of Andalucía's strange, compelling ritual are lost in time, and are almost certainly rooted in some forgotten rite of passage of the shadowy, mysterious Celtiberians who peopled the peninsula centuries before the coming of the Romans.
Ronda's loveliest enclosed space is the Mondragón palace, the heavily renovated and part-modernised remnants of what once was the palace of the Moorish ruler Abbel Mallek, or Abomelic, son of the king of Morocco. The palace is tiny, but much detail remains, in the Mudejar ceilings, some original tiling, and the balconied inner courtyards.
Ronda is divided into three parts, and the old Moorish citadel, La Ciudad, should be explored first. If, like most visitors, you drive up from the coast, the first part of town you will encounter is the Barrio de San Francisco. Park here, and enter the fortifications on foot through the Moorish gate, the Puerta de Almocábar, with its characteristic horseshoe arch.
Best-known for its spectacular setting atop a deep gorge spanned by a stone bridge, Ronda has a rich cultural and literary tradition, and is the home of modern bullfighting. Every September, the town plays host to one of Andalucia's most charming festivals, the Feria Goyesca.
The building known as the Casino and Circulo de Artistas (Artists Society) is located on the north side of Ronda's Plaza del Socorro. This is a charming corner of the town where tourists enjoy their lunch, unaware that they are in the company of one of Andalucia's most famous historical venues.
Puente Nuevo, Ronda's 'new bridge' was completed in 1793, after 40 years in construction and after the loss of the lives of 50 builders constructing the span bridging the 98m Tajo gorge. The bridge bisects Ronda into new town (mercadillo, 'little market') and old (La Ciudad). The project was first proposed by King Felipe V in 1735.
The sixth edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 27 to 30 July 2023 to the Serrania de Ronda.
The fourth edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 6, 7, 8, 9 September 2018 to the Serrania de Ronda.
The second edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 7, 8, 9 and 10th September 2017 to the Serrania de Ronda.
You don't need to have a huge budget to find a charming, comfortable hostal to stay in Ronda. The town has a number of well-priced, friendly hotels with modern facilities such as free WIFI, often with pretty patios or outdoor terraces where you can enjoy a drink or even have your breakfast as you enjoy the spectacular views.
Cueva de la Pileta is 15km south of Ronda, and is well worth seeing unless you suffer from claustrophobia or hate bats. These prehistoric cave paintings of fish, goats, horses and bulls, as well as abstract symbols, in charcoal, red and yellow, date from the late Palaeolithic period (3rd century BC).
As a bullfighting Mecca, Hemingway was inevitably drawn to Ronda. But he also used the town in one of his greatest novels. In "For Whom the Bell Tolls", set in the Spanish Civil War, one scene takes place in Plaza de España.
During the Napoleonic wars, many Andalucians took to the hills to organise resistance movements. These often took the form of banditry, attacking soldiers or rich travellers as they took the isolated, treacherous mountain road through the Sierra de Ronda from inland Andalucia down to the coast.
This exceptional property is a unique blend of traditional Andalusian charm and modern architecture, located in a peaceful and picturesque finca near Ronda. Originally built in the 1920s as a northern-style cortijo, the home has been completely renovated by its current owner, preserving its authentic character while adding modern comforts and a stunning new contemporary wing.
The fourth edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 8, 9 10 11 August 2019 to the Serrania de Ronda.
