A Little Piece of Heaven: Visiting the City of Ronda

In the region of Malaga, at mid distance between Malaga Airport and Gibraltar is a small and peaceful city called Ronda. A city where little children, their parents and grandparents live happily. I didn’t see any teenagers though, I presume they all leave at some point to major cities to pursue their university degrees. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants. NoGarlicNoOnions_Travel_Ronda_Spain38

Ronda, which is a little town, has many visitors especially those coming to the Ascari Racing Arena. But one of their main attractions is the bridge hanging over a 100m cliff build more than 300 years ago.Ronda is situated in a mountainous area about 750m above sea level. The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches. The Spanish Fir is endemic to the mountains surrounding Ronda. NoGarlicNoOnions_Travel_Ronda_Spain35

Main things to visit:

Puente Nuevo. The large and incredible bridge over the gorge (el Tajo), finished in 1793. The height from top to bottom is about 100 m, like a 30 floor building. Inside the bridge there is a small museum.

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Calle la Bola is the local name for Calle Espinel, the main shopping and strolling street in town. (Trivia: “La bola” means “ball” in Spanish; the street earned its nickname when, after a heavy snowfall, a group of citizens rolled a large snowball down its slope.)

Plaza de Toros. The oldest and one of the most highly regarded of Spain’s bull rings. You can visit the museum inside.

La Alameda. A nice park with shady trees and ample walking space. It’s right next to the bull ring, and you can see wonderful panoramas from the balconies.

La Ciudad. The old district of Ronda, beyond the new bridge. Full of twisting, narrow streets. Located there are the church of Santa Maria la Mayor and the Palacio de Mondragon. The former, on the site of town’s main mosque during Moorish rule, is a Gothic style cathedral that, inside, has elements of the Baroque and Rococo as well. The latter is a former Moorish palace with beautiful gardens, a fantastic view, and a small museum.

Puente Viejo and Arco de Felipe V. On the eastern side of the old city, down the hill. This small bridge was the means of crossing the Tajo before the completion of the newer, larger one. Also in this area is a beautiful arch, named for Phillip the Fifth.