On a daytrip from Malaga to Ronda and Setenil de las Bodegas, my priority was to visit two of the spectacular white washed towns that characterizes Andalucia. Ronda might not be as special as Setenil, but it certainly has the most dramatic location on a plateau 750 m. above sea level. A deep gorge divides the town in two, but the two parts are connected with a bridge – the Puente Nueve – which has become the very symbol and main attraction in town.
Setenil de las Bodegas
We left the sunny coast to drive aprox. 110 km. from Malaga to Ronda. A beautiful drive through the varied Andalucian countryside. When Ronda appeared we drove into town without really knowing how to get to the bridge, but suddenly we realized that we were driving over it and into the old part of town. Then it was just a matter of trying to find parking as close to the bridge as possible. It was the bridge and the gorge we wanted to see. But Ronda has several attractions worth visiting. Beautiful old houses, Arab baths and museums. There is also a bullring which has been in operation since 1784. Ronda is considered to be the cradle of bullfighting. Lunch in one of the restaurants «hanging on the cliff» looking down into the gorge can be recommended. You will have an amazing view!
A mosaic of Ronda
We started with a walk on the bridge and to both sides of it, before we took the stairs half way down the gorge. The river - Rio Guadalevín flows through town and divides the it into two. Over time the river has dug deeper and deeper resulting in the creation of a gorge of aprox. 1020 m. The bridge we see today, is the new bridge. Before there was an older one, but not as high as the new one.
The Puente Nueve is nearly 100 m. high. Those who built it, worked around 40 years to complete it. But when it was finished late 18th century it was considered a huge achievement when it comes to engineering. I also read somewhere that during the Spanish Civil War, prisoners were thrown down into the gorge.
Our lunch restaurant to the left
Ronda is one of the oldest towns i Spain, originally founded by the Romans, but just like the rest of Spain, it was conquered by the Arabs. In 1485 it was recaptured by the Christians. The bridge divides the city into an old and a new district. The old Muslim quarter is located on the south side of the gorge.
From this side there is a path with stairs some of the way, leading to the bottom of the gorge. After lunch we chose to go down, despite the fact that it had started to rain and it was getting wet and slippery. The bridge does look impressive from this angle as well.
The Iberian Peninsula has a tumultuous history and many differet peoples have visited, such as Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, Jews etc. But the Romans were the first to leave deep traces in Spain and today in many places one can still be find ruins from that era. In 711 the Arabs conquered Spain and called the southern part al-Andalus – Andalucia, which is characterized by the whitewashed villages – Pueblo Blancos. The rich heritage after the Arabs is present and I do hope to come back one day and spend more time here. Even Ronda can be visited on a day trip, I think it would be better to stay a couple of nights to be able to explore the old town and visit a museum or two.
If you check my previous post from Setenil de las Bodegas you will see how different both these two towns are. If you ever plan to visit Ronda, do visit Setenil as well.
