Living for the Details: Ronda, Spain
Ronda’s thrilling history, romantic colorful details, and fantastic views make it a dreamy retreat from modern reality.
Ronda is an ancient Spanish city and longtime fortress, controlled at one time by everyone from the ancient Romans to Arabic caliphate of the middle ages to the Catholic church during the Spanish inquisition.
It was first chosen as a settlement by the early Iberian or Bastulo Celts because of its easily defendable sky high location and its underground springs, a constant source of drinking water and once secret passageways in the rock to bring in food and supplies.
Ronda boasts fabulous views as it was built on two plateaus connected by an impossibly high Puente Nuevo (new bridge) over a deep gorge carved by the Guadalevin River.
It’s the gateway to the Rioja region’s verdant rolling hills, now covered in olives orchards, vineyards, and dotted with little white washed Spanish villages.
Once across the bridge, you can find one of the oldest, most elite bullfighting rings in Spain, Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda (RMR) or the Royal Cavalry of Ronda Bullring, in the Plaza de Toros.
It was built in 1779 for the Real Maestranza de Caballería, a noble order of horsemanship in Spain, which was founded there in 1485. In the same year, the Catholic King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella won Ronda back from Nasrid dynasty and ended over seven centuries of Islamic rule.
Our guide told us that the sand inside the ring is a special type of sand that has been used for hundreds of years in this ring, originally selected because of its ability to absorb blood.
The bullfighting area and joining museum are a great place to visit if you want to do a deep dive into matador culture.
The ring was first used as a military training ground for cavalry and today still in use, hosting annual bull fights attended by the likes of Amal and George Clooney as well as many other cultural festivals and musical performances.
I love the bright colors and emotive details of the many paintings and posters inspired by Ronda’s bullfighting. You can just feel the energy and passion of the bullfight.
On our tour, we got to see the holding tanks for the bulls and walking through, seeing the big gashes in the stone walls from the bull’s horns sent a chill down my spine.
Walking along the outside of the bullfighting ring, there were these massive metal double doors with rivets around the perimeter.
In the center of each door were these medieval looking intricate tiny detailed knockers on a giant metal door made with love by hand.
The bullfighting ring is only a short distance from the church of Ronda, which is actually a converted mosque.
Remnants or Arabic style and construction are still visible underneath the Catholic gilding and iconography. From the outside, you can imagine how all it would take for the iron cross to be removed and it could easily be the turret of a mosque.
I’ve visited many cathedrals throughout Europe and I always find it fascinating how the statues often resemble the local people. In Paris, Mary and Jesus are blonde and blue eyed.
Here, the Mary and other Saint sculptures are clear depictions of quintessentially Spanish youth and beauty with their ivory skin and dark black hair.
Each lovingly carved and delicately painted, adorned in gowns and capes with detailed metallic embroidery.
I thought this little statue of Mary was so beautiful and interesting. She looks just like Aphrodite in one of my favorite paintings, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
A great example of the Catholic church’s blending of ancient greek and roman mythology with its religious iconography.
There is so much detail to observe in this church, I could have wandered around for hours. From the intricate wooden carvings around the pulpit to the giant altar dripping in gold. It’s a must visit on a tour of Ronda.
