Earnest Hemingway was enchanted by Ronda (the town, not the woman)
Orson Welles was so enthralled with the place that he chose it as the last resting place for his ashes (I suspect there was rather a lot of them!)
And then just recently it was voted one of the top twenty most beautiful cities in the world!
Well, that is enough of a recommendation for me, plus it is just a 90 minute drive from Malaga, our next port of call.
It is indeed a beautiful town, but what makes it special is that there is a river running through it. Lots of towns have that, but nowhere has a river with the power of the Río Guadalevín. Over the centuries it has eroded a dramatically deep ravine
And sitting astride of this breathtaking gash in the mountain is Ronda. Getting from one side to the other was a problem. Not the best plan for a city. But with the Muslims living on one side of the gorge and the Christians on the other, it would seem to be the perfect arrangement, but it wasn’t.
In the 16th century a bridge was built a little upstream where the gorge was not as steep. It helped but it was just a little too far away to be perfect.
It wasn’t until 1734 that an engineer decided he was capable of building a bridge in the middle of town spanning the gorge at its highest point, and allowing traffic to pass easily from one side to the other. He was correct in thinking he could build the bridge, but he was incorrect in thinking it could carry traffic. It couldn’t, and sadly 50 people who believed him lost their lives plunging to the bottom of the ravine.
Eighteen years later building started once again, this time with new engineers. Progress was slow, but careful. It took 34 years to build and even now is recognised as an incredible feat of engineering (remember we are talking 250 years ago)
It is still known as Puento Nuevo, (the new bridge!), because nothing better has yet been built. Traffic now flows perfectly, the two sides of the towns are united and it is has created one of the most beautiful towns in the world
Across the bridge, the cobbled streets of the old town are lined with handsome houses and even more handsome mansions
But to really see how stunning Ronda is, you need to take to the air. I did not, but others have
Maybe next time. Because there will defintely be a next time. The Fabulosity Meter demands it.
Meanwhile I have another town to see…………………………
Andrews Fabulous Travel Blog 