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Ronda Information
Location
The historical town of Ronda lies on a plateau surrounded by the Serranía de Ronda, which are the southern foothills of the Andalusian range of mountains. A charming mountain road with dramatic views links Ronda with the city of Marbella, only 60 km away and Málaga, 116 km distant.
Since prehistoric times, there are evidences of men living in caves in and near Ronda and the Arab Baths are a fine example of the flourishing Muslim culture that established in the town until the Christian conquest. However, the most important feature in Ronda is the adaptation of its inhabitants to the amazing nature of the site. The spectacular 100 metres-deep gorge that divides the town in two parts is spanned by the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge). The bridge, which was completed in 1751 after 42 to years of work, is itself one of the most depicted images of Andalusia. To the East, the Moorish side of Ronda is full of monuments and buildings of great architectural and cultural value, including the House of the Moorish King, the Mondragón Palace and the Don Bosco House. To the West, the San Francisco quarter was the expanding area of the town after the bridge was built, today with plenty of bars offering delicious samples of the traditional tapas.
Ronda is also famous for being the birthplace of modern bullfighting, boasting to have the oldest bullring in the world. This emblematic bullring houses the spectacular bullfight of the Goyesca Fair in September when the whole town recalls the 18th Century days when Ronda was the lead of bullfighting in Spain.
Kings, artists, bandits or bullfighters have impregnated with their legends the rich history of the beautiful Ronda, being the main inspiration for authors of the Romanticism. Today, the town of Ronda has become the third most visited place in Andalusia, after Seville and Granada.
Places of Interest
From the Costa del Sol, the main road leading to Ronda starts in San Pedro, within the Marbella Council, and the alternative and longer one will take you there from Manilva and through Gaucín. Both ways are scenic and can be really interesting to note the dramatic changes in landscapes and even in weather as we go deep in the hills.
Once in Ronda, we cross the bridge while enjoying the spectacular views of the gorge and we get to the old part of the town. To the right of the main road we find the old quarter for palaces and noble residences such as the Palacio de Mondragón or the Duquesa de Parcent House. At the square of the same name, we can recall the former religious splendour of Ronda with three churches, one of them, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación featuring a tall bell tower. It is at this point where we best understand the succession of different cultures in Ronda as the place was the former site for the Mosque, the market and the jail for Arabs.
The organised tours around Ronda have become the best and easier way to visit the town. Sightseeing Ronda can be done with a few hours stroll around the bridge area, where the majority of the main sites are located. The tourist office recommends visitors to follow a tour which turns out to be very close to the one we take in our visit. After a while walking the town you realise how pointless is to drive through their narrow, steeped streets. If you drive to the town centre you will find two underground car parks past the bullring, the best point to start your tour.
Starting at the Alameda Gardens and Convent of La Merced, you will walk down Calle Virgen de la Paz towards the famous bridge. On your way there, the not less famous bullring is located on your right. It was built in 1785 and now contains a museum which is considered the shrine of the bullfighting art. The tourist office with the ever convenient public toilets is situated opposite the bullring. Next to it, the gardens crossed by the Blas Infante Walk are worthwhile to pay a few minutes call to enjoy the best panoramic views of the mountains over the gorge on which the town lies. Leaning out to the cliff is the outstanding Parador of Ronda.
There are plenty of museums and galleries in Ronda as well as civil and religious monuments that can be visited. The gates of El Almocábar and Carlos V, the Town Hall and the Salvatierra Palace are some of the sites we can enter in Ronda. The Armiñan Street houses a good range of museums on local arts and traditions including the Hunting Museum, the “Lara” Museum and the Bandit Museum. Following the street you will get back to the House of the Moorish Kings and the Convent of Santo Domingo.
The House of the Moorish Kings date back from the 18th century and its beautiful gardens can be visited. Inside the house, 200 steps (originally 365) lead down to the bottom of the gorge, where an underground mine was built by the king Abomlik in the 14th century. Several rooms were used as dungeons and store rooms.
At the end of our tour, we can visit the Town Hall, built in 1734 and restored in 1818 after it had been damaged by the French during the Independence War.
The town also counts and uncountable bars and restaurants serving the lovely local gastronomy as well as with excellent shopping facilities, with pottery, leather work and wrought-iron products as the particular attractions for buyers.
Wines of ronda
The region of Ronda is gifted with an ideal microclimate for the growing of vines that produce excellent red, rose and white wines. The key factors are conditions such as the altitude over the sea level, stable rains, the combination of warm days and cool nights, etc. Among the best known vineyards and cellars across the region are those of Cortijo de las Monjas and the wines of F. Schatz.
Cortijo de las Monjas
Around the farmhouse, the vineyards lay out at an altitude of 700 metres, on limestone-sand terrain with an average rainfall of 600 litres per square metres and continental temperatures. The land consists of 15 Ha with kinds of grapes breaking down as it follows:
Cabernet Sauvignon 39%
Tempranillo 25%
Syrah 14%
Petit Verdot 14%
Merlot 8%
Planted for the first time in 1991, the vineyard were slightly extended in 1992 and 1993 with fine French wine grapes. Today, although the wine grapes are still young, the average production is 5,000 kg of grapes each Ha.
Bodega F. Schatz
Friedrich Schatz is a member of a German family who started his first wine grapes farm in “La Sanguijuela” in 1982 aiming to produce high quality wines using ecological growing methods. The farm is located ten km away from Ronda, close to remains of the Roman city Acinipo. The site has an altitude of 600 metres and is close to the high mountains of the Natural Park of Grazalema which provide an ideal microclimate to produce high quality wine.
This vineyard is formed by a great variety of grapes, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Trolinger, Spätburgunder, Lemberger, Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Petit-Verdot and Muskattrolinger. The total wine production is limited to 15.000 bottles (70% of red wine, 25% of white wine and 5% of rosé wine).
Fiestas
The most famous fiesta of Ronda is the “Goyesca” Fair, which takes place in September and celebrates bullfights in the 18th century style. The whole town receive the best fighters of the time finely dressed in costumes that recall its glorious bullfighting past. |
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