Plaza Duquesa de
Parcent, showing the Church of Santa María la Mayor and the Town Hall |
Ronda is the capital of the Serrania (Mountain
range) comprising 27 municipalities that cover an area of 1,500 square
kilometres and with a population of about 65,000, including the almost
40,000 that live in Ronda itself. There are various ways to get there from
Malaga, the most direct route being along the Costa del Sol to San Pedro
Alcántara, then turning up on the Ronda road, a total distance of 110
kilometres. The well-surfaced but winding road reaches a height of 744
metres above sea level to take us to the town. Another road goes through
Yunquera and El Burgo, shorter at 96 kilometres from Malaga, while the
longest way is by the new Cártama road that brings us first to Ardales,
turning off before reaching Campillos to get to Ronda, the distance being
122 kilometres. Although longer, this is an excellent road.
Ronda has always been an important town, situated as it is on the cross
roads between the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz, although its time of
greatest glory was in the 17th and 18th centuries. It
suffered badly during the War of Independence against the French, much
property being destroyed when the French troops left and with much loss of
life. The town was the seat of Blas Infante’s Andalusian Congress of 1918,
where the concept of Andalusian nationalism was born and the Andalusian hymn
and regional flag were first presented in public.
The history of the
town goes back to neolithic times, with megalithic monuments from the Bronze
Age like the burial grounds of La Planilla still in existence. Other
important sites include the remains of the Theatre of Acinipo, which dates
from the Celtic period; the remains of the Moorish baths and the Puerta de
la Ecijara. The origin of the town’s name, in fact, comes from this
period, the expression Izna Rand Onda meaning the Castle of Laurel.
Places
to be visited
 |
Ruins
of Acinipo
There are a number of different routes one can take to see the
town, one good way to begin being a trip through the Ruins of
Acinipo or Ronda La Vieja (Old Ronda). Acinipo became one of the
most important towns in Bética and Arunda, situated 20 kilometres
from the present town on the Seville road. The ruins are on a
plateau of 980 metres high, and are easily spotted for the large
stone blocks and the remains of construction work on the site. The
theatre is in a good state of conservation, and its size gives us
some idea of how big this Roman city was. Coins, inscriptions and
various architectural elements have been found in and around the
site.
Urban and monumental Ronda
The town has a number of different areas, easily distinguished one
from the other. The town centre is made up of Las Imágenes, the
Puente Nuevo and the area known as La Ciudad, or the ancient
Medina, the Moorish market area. From the historic point of view,
this is the most important area of the town. The second area is
the San Francisco barrio, and the third area is the Mercadillo, on
the other side of the river Guadalevín, where an industrial
estate has been built recently. Three bridges were built over this
river, the two oldest being in the lower part of the river, and
the third being built at the end of the 18th century.
The Lara Museum
This museum of art and objects is situated in the Casa Palacio de
los Condes de La Conquista, (on calle Armiñán), which has
recuperated its old aristocratic style on being converted into one
of the most interesting museums in the province. On show here are
more than 2,000 pieces from the worlds of communication, art,
science, archaeology and popular arts. There are a total of nine
collections in the museum.
Religious architecture
Ronda has a large number of religious buildings, the most
interesting being the 15th and early 16th
century churches of Nuestra Señora de Gracia and Espíritu Santo,
the building of which was ordered by the Catholic Monarchs on the
ground that the octagonal square used by the Catholic defence
forces had been. One of the oldest of the town’s religious
buildings is the Church of the Santa María de la Encarnación la
Mayor. These are only a few of the 20 religious buildings –
mostly churches and convents – to be found in Ronda.
Church of the Espíritu Santo
Ronda was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs on May 22nd,
1485, and the Church of the Espíritu Santo was one of the first
to be built to cater for the spiritual needs of the new Christian
population, and those who would be converted. It was named for the
day on which the town was captured, Pascua del Espíritu Santo,
and built on the ruins of an old mosque between the end of the 15th
century and the beginning of the 16th century. The
style is transitional Gothic-Renaissance. It was made a parish in
1534, and while work was being carried out on the Colegiata de
Santa María de la Encarnación, it fulfilled the function of the
canonical college.
The church is built of stone in a
single nave, with a raised choir. The nave is divided into three
sections, each vaulted in the shape of the cross. There are
rectangular chapels off the third section of the nave, with
another chapel on the other side of the central nave, separated by
semicircular arches, the ceilings again vaulted in the shape of
the cross. A third chapel leads to the exterior.
The entrance to the main chapel is through a semicircular
triumphal arch supported by large pillars, while the ceiling is an
octagonal-shaped Baroque vault with an eight-point star in the
centre. A Baroque altarpiece sits in the wall, along with a
painting from the late 17th century Seville School. The
theme is the Holy Spirit, with the apostles receiving the gift of
speech in different languages in order to preach the work of God
all over the world. Beneath this there is a Virgen de la Antigua,
a 19th century copy. Over the altar there are three
heraldic stone shapes, two of them from the time of Fray Bernardo
Manrique (1541-1564), then bishop, and the other showing the
principal coat-of-arms of Asturias. There are two windows in the
high part of the walls, and a door that leads to the sacristy.
The sacristy houses two important works: a Saint Joseph with the
Child Jesus and Saint Ann with the Virgin, both done in the final
third of the 17th century by painters closely
associated with the painter Murillo. The
exterior presents a fortified appearance common at the time, with
buttresses complementing the interior arches of the nave. On both
sides are the chapels in the shape of the cross, lower than the
central nave. The steeple is made in two storeys with a bell
tower, and later decorative additions in the Baroque style.
The doorway is simple, framed in two large buttresses with
pinnacles. It has a semicircular archway with the only elements in
the church of Mudejar design on it. Over the arch is a niche
holding the dove of the Holy Spirit. There is an arched window
that is reminiscent of the Gothic style, and the façade has a
pediment on its central part. At
the moment the gold and silverwork, liturgical costumes and
documents relating the church are on exhibition in different parts
of the building.
The Bandolero Museum. This
museum is situated a late 19th century house in the
historic centre of the town, and within 150 metres of it one can
find almost all the best-known monuments in Ronda. C/Armiñán,
65. Tel: 952 877 785. More
information
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| Where
to eat |
Restaurante
Pedro Romero. One of Ronda’s classic restaurtants.
Spacious, with a Spanish wine cellar. Internet
C/Virgen de la Paz, 18 (beside the Post Office). Tel: 952 871 061
Fax: 952 871 061.
Restaurante Tragabuches.
Creative Andalusian cooking. C/José Aparicio, 1. 952 190 291. Internet
Asador-Restaurante Casa Santa Pola.
Specialising in meats, roasts, suckling pig and lamb in a wood
oven. C/Santo Domingo, s/n. Tel: 952 879 208. Fax 952 879 328
Restaurante del Escudero.
Paseo Blas Infante, s/n. Tel: 952 871 367.
Restaurante Sol y Sombra.
C/Virgen de la Paz, 26. Tel: 952 187 176.
Restaurante Jerez. Paseo Blas
Infante, 2. Tel: 952 872 098. Internet
Restaurante Duquesa de Parcent.
C/Tenorio, 12. Tel: 952 190 835.
Restaurante Alhambra. C/Pedro
Romero, 9. Tel: 952 879 934.
Restaurante Alavera. C/San
Miguel, s/n. Tel: 952 879 143.
Restaurante Don Javier.
C/Virgen de la Paz, 7. Tel: 952 872 020.
Restaurante Cervecería Camelot.
C/Sevilla, 45. Tel: 952 879 312. Internet
Bar-Restaurante La Venta.
Ctra. El Burgo, Km.4. Tel: 952 877 929.
Bar-Restaurante El Torero.
C/Nueva, 8. Tel: 952 877 169.
Cafetería Hnos.Pérez.
Specialising in hot tapas and churros. C/Espinillos, 14.Tel: 952
871 147.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Husa Reina Victoria (4*). Dr. Fleming, 25. Tel: 952 871 240.
Hotel Maestranza (4*). C/Virgen de la Paz, 24. Tel: 952 187
072. Internet
Parador Nacional de Turismo (4*). Plaza de España, s/n. Tel: 952
877 500.
Hotel
San Gabriel. C/José María Holgado, 19. Tel: 952
190 392.
Hotel La Española (3*). C/José Aparicio 3 and 5. Tel: 952 871
051.
Hotel Don Javier (3*). C/José Aparicio, 6. Tel: 952 872
020.
Hotel Royal (2*). C/Virgen de la Paz, 42. Tel: 952 871 141.
Hotel El Horcajo (3*). Ctra. Ronda-Zahara de la Sierra, s/n. Tel:
952 184 080.
Hotel Alavera (2*). C/San Miguel, s/n. Tel: 952 879 143.
Hostal Andalucía. Avda. Martínez Astein, 19. Teléfono 952 875
450.
Hostal
Fuente de la Higuera. Partido de los Frontones.
Tel: 952 114 355.
Hostal Rondasol. C/Almendra, 11. Tel: 952 874 497.
Pensión La Purísima. C/Sevilla, 10. Tel: 952 871 050.
Camping El Sur. Ctra. Algeciras, Km.1,5. Tel: 952 875 939.
Camping El Abogao. Ctra. Campillos, Km.5. Tel: 952 875
844.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
| Links |
www.lacave.org.
Trekking, pot-holing and environment in the Ronda Mountains area.
www.iznarunda.com.
The web page of the Association for the Conservation and
Promotional Work of the historical heritage of Ronda "Izna
Runda".
www.arunda.com.
Tales, curiosities and images of Ronda and the Ronda Mountain
area.
|
María Santísima de
la Paz, Patron Saint of Ronda |
FIESTAS
Ronda’s principal festival is the Feria
de Pedro Romero, which takes place at the beginning of September, and
visitors come from all parts of the world to attend the famous bull
fighting that is an essential part of the festival. Another festival that
has gained fame in Ronda is the Festival de Cante Grande, in which
well-known Flamenco singers and musicians participate. The Romería in
honour of the Virgen de la Cabeza and the cattle fair takes place in May.
MONTECORTO AND SERRATO
The hamlets of Serrato and Montecorto are the same distance from Ronda,
the first at 20 kilometres to the west and the second at a little bit more
to the north. Both belong to the municipality of Ronda, and are rich
plantation areas. The Morisco style can be seen clearly in these two
places, as much in the layout of the streets as in the architecture of the
urban centres. As in most Ronda Mountain towns, the houses follow the lie
of the land, twisting and turning as the streets rise or fall. Most of the
houses are small and low, with typical Moorish-style roofs.
GASTRONOMY
The gastronomy of Ronda is characterised by
the use of Serrano ham, with plenty of dishes based on rabbit, artichokes,
lamb and beef. There are also common Andalusian dishes done in the Ronda
style, like gazpacho, fried breadcrumbs, partridge, omelette and trout.
There is a great variety of soups here, and chestnuts are used in some of
them. For pudding, the main Ronda dish is the famous yemas del tajo, an
egg-based dish, with excellent pastries made locally in some of the
closed-order convents and monasteries.
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