EXPLORING RONDA This favourite European riding destination is worth a closer look By Christina Newberry
E
rnest Hemingway called Ronda the place to go “if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or if you ever bolt with anyone.” The two sides of this ancient walled city, perched on the edges of the Tajo Gorge overlooking the Guadalevín River, are indeed stunningly beautiful. But this place drew Papa in with more than just its romance. Ronda’s small 18th-century bullring is the home of modern bullfighting. Hemingway watched the spectacle and violence of many a bullfight in this place, developing close friendships with the bullfighters and a strong connection to the town and its people.
Today, there are very few bullfights in the historic Plaza de Toros, but it is open to visitors, so you can step into the centre of the ring and look back to the stands where Hemingway sat with fellow fan Orson Welles. Beneath the seats is the elaborate Bullfighting Museum, showcasing the history of the bullfight in Spain. If bullfighting is just not your thing, stroll along the Paseo Ernest Hemingway for some of those stunning mountain views the author himself found so charming, or take a deeper look at Ronda’s past. This is an ancient place – the Puente Nuevo, or “new bridge,” after all, is 225 years old.
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In fact, people have lived in Ronda since the Neolithic age. The municipal museum inside the 14th-century Mondragon Palace offers a good look at the city’s long history, including its complicated series of Roman, Moorish and Catholic conquests dating back to the reign of Julius Caesar. Ronda’s 13th-century Arab baths are among the best preserved in Spain. Any town that could melt the heart of Ernest Hemingway must be something special. Throw in the curving mountain roads to get there and it’s clear that Ronda is a great place for anyone to bolt – especially on an iron horse.
SEPTEMBER 2017