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Serrania deRonda
The
November 2025
Ronda has struck the imagination of poets, artists, bullfighters and musicians for thousands of years, writes Dilip Kuner
R
ONDA doesn’t just appear; it confronts you. As the road bends, this captivating city leaps into view, rising like a white pearl surrounded by the rugged Andalucian countryside. You know you are arriving somewhere special and this is confirmed when you begin to understand its geography: a hilltown named by the Romans as Arunda, meaning literally ‘surrounded by mountains’. But Ronda, which is indeed encircled by sierras in every direction, is also a geologist’s dream, the city being hewn in two by a deep chasm carved by the Guadalevin River. This adds to its complex history. Where the threads that make up the multicoloured fabric of Andalucia - Moorish architecture, Roman grandeur, bullfighting, poets and outlaws all happily intertwine. Ronda is more than a destination; it’s a living chronicle where its stones feel the weight of centuries of stories. The visceral experience of Ronda begins with the Tajo, the breathtaking gorge that rips through its centre and spreads out into a deep valley below. Spanning this monumental divide is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge). It’s the physical and spiritual heart of the city and you can’t go near it without feeling the sheer, dizzying height.
Secret
CAPTURED!
The bridge’s very existence is rooted in a devastating secret. Before this stone marvel stood here, a precarious wooden trestle-bridge was the only link across the 300-foot drop. In 1740, that wooden structure failed, and 50 innocent Rondeños plunged to their deaths. The 40 years it took to reconstruct it wasn’t just engineering; it was an act of collective will to ensure the community would never be divided again. Today, it stands as a testament to resilience, offering views so spectacular that locals claim, ‘the birds fly at the feet of those who look out’. Ronda’s layout is a simple historical map: La Ciudad (the Old Town and former Moorish medina) sits on the south side, looking ancient and labyrinthine, while El Mercadillo (the modern commercial district) sits on the north. Then down below, outside the charming Arabic Almocobar gate, sits the San Francisco neighbourhood alongside the medieval walls that once defended the entire fortress. Long before the Puente Nuevo, Ronda was already holding the line: The Celtic tribe, the Bastuli, knew the early importance of this rocky outcrop for trade, perhaps even along ancient Atlantic routes. When the Romans arrived, the city quickly grew in stature. They developed a unique ‘twin’ settlement colony: the defensible Arunda and the even
DRAMATIC: Extraordinary view of the Tajo gorge from above, while (top right) the Foreign Legion carries a virgin over the Puente Nuevo at Easter
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