Directly overlooking a 160-metre cliff that ends in the Guadalevin River is one of the most famous Pueblos Blancos: Ronda!
This town, situated on the heights of the Sierra de las Nieves, is striking from the beginning because of its singular position which is the reason why it has become famous throughout the world. In fact, Ronda was divided into two parts until the mid 1700s: the old town and the new town. It was only in 1748 that the Puente Nuevo was built, which definitively united them and which, given its spectacularity, soon became the symbol of this city.
Ronda Spain and the Andalusian charm
In Ronda you can perceive a Spanish climate very different from the other big cities; you can’t distinctly feel the modernization that we have seen elsewhere, but it seems that everything has remained slightly behind the times and this gives it a particular charm that is not easy to find in the other countries of Andalusia we have visited.
The new bridge of Ronda
Among the things that you definitely can’t miss is the Puente Nuevo and the short walk that will take you all the way under its arches: you will find yourself in front of a landscape that will leave you amazed and that will repay you for your efforts, especially if you do this walk at sunset!
A warning: those who suffer from vertigo will have to prepare themselves mentally!
In addition to the famous bridge, unfortunately there are not many things that really deserve it; just take a tour of the old town and the small park of the village, where you can spend some time in the coolness cheered by Andalusian musicians, and you have seen almost everything.
There is, however, an almost. What impressed us the most, because unexpected and little publicized, is in fact the house of the Rey Moro. This house is not interesting for its garden or for the few rooms that can be seen, but for a staircase that winds through the bowels of the underground and that will take you directly between the walls of a canyon in whose bed flows the Rio Guadalevin.
Used as an escape route from the Moors in case of attacks, besides being a spectacular architectural work, it is truly an intriguing experience that allows you to relive the epic escapes you read about in adventure books!
So if you only want to spend a day in Ronda the advice is to enjoy the morning wandering around the village and the main attractions then, as soon as the Spanish heat starts to become unbearable, take refuge in the park for a short siesta and visit the house of the Rey moro which, because it is carved into the rock, will also cheer you up with a cool climate, and finally go and enjoy the sunset from one of the panoramic viewpoints of the city!
