Ronda: where history defies gravity
Ronda is one of the oldest and most awe-inspiring cities in all of Spain. Built on a plateau in the Serranía de Ronda at 723 metres above sea level, it is divided in two by the dramatic El Tajo del Guadalevín — a gorge 120 metres deep that has shaped the city's entire history and remains its most recognisable and photographed feature in the world.
The Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), built between 1751 and 1793 and visible for miles around, is Ronda's defining symbol. To cross it is to cross between two worlds: the Moorish Old City, with its labyrinth of cobbled streets, and the New City, with its Paseo de Blas Infante and luxury hotels overlooking the gorge. Ronda was an important Moorish city — the Arabs called it Izn-Rand Onda — and its 13th-century Arab Baths are among its most treasured monuments.
Ronda is also the birthplace of modern bullfighting. The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda, founded in 1572, houses Spain's oldest bullring, where Francisco Romero and his son Pedro laid the foundations of the art of fighting on foot as it is known today. The plaza's Bullfighting Museum is one of the most comprehensive in the country.
Literary city, city of landscapes, city of cortijos
Ronda has inspired Hemingway, Rilke and Orson Welles. Its extraordinary landscape, mountain gastronomy and proximity to the Costa del Sol make it a residential destination like no other.
Ronda has drawn travellers, writers and artists for centuries, captivated by its dramatic setting. Ernest Hemingway drew on the gorge battles of the Civil War when writing scenes of For Whom the Bell Tolls. Rainer Maria Rilke stayed at the Parador de Ronda in 1912, and Orson Welles requested that his ashes be buried on an estate in the Serranía.
For residents of the Costa del Sol, Ronda is a favourite escape: just 45 minutes from Marbella along the mountain road, it offers a complete change of climate (snow can fall in Ronda in winter while the coast basks in mild sunshine), incomparable historic architecture and dining and shopping prices far lower than on the coast.
Buying a property in Ronda or its surroundings means investing in a different way of life: quieter, more cultural, more deeply rooted in authentic Andalusia. The Ronda golf club, Club de Campo de la Serranía, commands views no other course on the Costa del Sol can match.
