Ronda

City location

Ronda is located in the south of Spain, near the Costa del Sol and the city of Malaga.

Ronda is in the autonomous community of Andalusia and it belongs to the province of Malaga. The city has a very interesting location since it is situated under the Serranía de Ronda mountains and it is in the gorge of river Guadalevín, called El Tajo. There is a bridge Puente Nuevo across the gorge. Its name means “new bridge”, although it was built in the 18th century. The bridge is very high, about 120 meters and a view from it descends deep into the gorge and the blue river Guadalevín. There are two more bridges lying across the gorge – Puente Romano and Puente Viejo.

Ronda has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is a city that has grown quickly. Ronda is located 750 meters above sea level and it has Mediterranean climate because it is very close to the sea.

History of the city

Ronda lies in the area that was inhabited in the prehistoric times, specifically in the Neolithic Age. Many cave drawings are still present there. The most famous painting is the Cueva de la Pileta. The Celts founded the first city in this area in the 6th century BC. Its name was Arunda. However, the real founders of Ronda were the Romans.

They founded it during the Second Punic War. Ronda got the city status during the reign of Julius Caesar. Later, it was conquered by the Arabs and it stayed under their rule until the 15th century. Great influence of Islamic culture is very obvious in Ronda today. This city suffered great damage during the Spanish Civil War and it made most of the population flee.

Famous bullfighting location

Every year the festival Feria Goyesca is held here. Above all, the best Toreros of Spain come to Ronda in order to entertain the audience. Ronda is imbued with the culture of bullfighting; former bullring, Plaza de Toros de Ronda is the oldest bullring in Spain. It was built in the 18th century. Nowadays, it is a museum worth visiting. There are many other attractive places to visit in Ronda:  the Cathedral, the ruins of Acinipo, the Minaret of San Sebastian, the Prehistoric paintings of the PIleta cave and the Mondragon Palace.

The bridges of Ronda connect the new and the old city

The old city called La Ciudad is full of cobbled streets and exclusive villas. Ronda has great local food – Parador de Ronda blanco (cold garlic soup) and “salmorejo”, stewed Partridge, and Almond Soup and after that,  you can sweeten  your meal with desserts including a cake which is served with honey, ” Yemas rondenas ” and a special kind of cheese which is served along with almonds.