Ronda: Bulls & Bridges...

Ancient Ronda is a colorful tapestry woven from a skein of tangled threads which make it one of the most interesting cities in all Andalusía. The landscape, the layout of the town, its history, the romantic legend of its bandits with their evocative names, the cradle of bullfighters and artists whose names have gone down in history: all this makes Ronda a unique city.

"Some historians believe its origins date from the Bastuli Celts, who named the place Arunda. The Romans settled in Arunda and in Acinipo (also known as Ronda La Vieja, or Old Ronda). Pliny and Ptolemy mention Acinipo as one of the main cities in the Roman province of Baetica. Its most noteworthy ruins include the theatre, among the most important in Roman Spain. In Arunda, the Romans built the castle of Laurus (or Laurel) mentioned by Pliny in his Natural History as Arunda Laurus, on which the Muslim fortress was subsequently built."

We took a 1 ½ hour bus ride/nap to explore as much as we could in Ronda in the time we had.

A must is a stroll across the Puente Nuevo (1793), the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 390 ft. chasm which carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city.

Construction of this amazing bridge took 34 years and has a rich and varied history. There is a chamber above the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the 1936–1939 Civil War, both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo Gorge. Interesting!

Orson Welles once wrote “A man does not belong to the place he was born in, but to the place he chooses to die.” Welles loved the people of Spain and the culture and he was particularly captivated by Ronda, where he became friends with some of the most famous bullfighters of the era. His wishes to have his ashes kept in a well on the land of one such torero, friend Antonio Ordóñez, in the outskirts of Ronda shows just how much the town meant to Welles.

Lunch was a series of unique tapas at La Abaceria.

My goal was to return to Ronda's famous Bullring. Ronda is considered one of the cradles of modern bullfighting, which emerged in the 18th century. Territorial defense requirements led Felipe II, in 1572, to found the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda (Royal Riding School) where people could learn how to handle horses. The school of equestrian exercises, included games involving skill with bulls, as had been traditional in Spain since the Middle Ages.

In the 18th century when bullfighters on foot took over from those on horseback in these games with bulls, the Romero family appeared in Ronda and for three generations they provided the most unique bullfighters of the era. Special mention should go to Pedro Romero (1754-1839), a leading figure in bullfighting. He retired after fighting over 5,000 bulls without even getting a scratch. His personality led to his trade achieving social dignity and respect, as a blend of courage, skill, and aesthetic sense.

Sidenote: This is my Thursday throwback photo. We brought the boys to Ronda in 2000. It has been 24 years! Wow.

Continuing with the history lesson, the boom in bullfighting led the Real Maestranza to build its first bullring (Spain's first all stone building) in 1785, attributed to Martín de Aldehuela the same architect who was responsible for the magnificent Puente Nuevo bridge.

Inside the Plaza de Toros de Ronda we visited the Bullfighting Museum, admired the Royal Saddlery of the Casa de Orleans, ogled a Collection of antique firearms, and took a trip down Memory Lane. What fun.