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Ronda
has to be one of the most beautiful villages in
Spain, built high in the mountains on a six hundred
foot cliff and surrounded by 12th century walls.
It is truly a must see for visitors to the area.
Ronda is located about 1-2 hours north of Marbella
in the mountains accessible via a one lane road.
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Places to
visit. Among the most outstanding places
to visit is the famous bullfighting ring,
which dates from 1785. It has a large baroque
facade in stone, framed by Tuscan columns
which hold a pediment with a royal shield.
Inside the precinct is the
important bullfighting museum. La Real Maestranza
de Caballería de Ronda was founded
in 1572 by order of Felipe II and is the
oldest one in Spain.
The
ruins of Acinipo or Ronda la Vieja are very
interesting, situated at 18 kilometres,
with a Roman amphitheatre which is well
conserved, and whose basic structure is
carved in the rock. Acinipo had a walled
precinct, a temple and other public buildings.
At
one of the entrances to the city of Ronda
is the Puerta de Almocabar, which forms
part of a complex with the old 12th century
walls. Further back is the church of the
Espiritu Santo, built by Isabel II over
the Muslim cemetery, which they finished
building in 1505. It is a building with
an austere and sober exterior. It has one
nave with Gothic style vaults and thick
Renaissance columns. The choir, over the
entrance door is held by an arch. The high
altar is in the baroque style, and is covered
with paintings of the coming of the Holy
Ghost at Pentecost.
Marbella
|Pauto
Banus | Estapona
| Seville
| Selwo
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The Arab baths are in the
area of the old Jewish quarters, a place
with abundant water where the Guadalevin
and the Culebras rivers meet. Probably built
in the 13th century, it has an ample building
destined for the baths and an extensive
complimentary area, with gardens, yards
and sun spots.
An impressive aspect of
Ronda is the conservation of its three bridges:
the Nuevo, the árabe and the romano.
The Nuevo bridge is from the 18th century
and is 98 metres tall.
Other
points of great historical value are the
Palace of Mondragon, the Puerta de Carlos
I, the Arco de Felipe V, the so called Casa
del Gigante (Muslim palace form the 13th
century), the Arabic minaret in the Abul
Beka square, the palace of Savatierra, the
archway Sillon del Moro, the Posada de Las
Animas, and the Casa Consistorial (county
council).
The
local festivities take place in the second
half of May, when they commemorate the Christian
conquest, which they have celebrated ever
since the time of the Catholic Kings, with
horse training competitions, and bullfighting.
Marbella
|Pauto
Banus | Estapona
| Seville
| Selwo
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The September
festivities, dedicated to the mythical Ronda bullfighter,
Pedro Romero, to whom the introduction of the
red cape in Bull fairs is attributed, is the most
outstanding festival and has reached great fame,
above all for the Corridas Goyescas, when the
matadors and their cuadrilla dress in the clothes
from the selected era of one of Goya’s paintings.
Even some of the public dress up in accordance
with the magic return to the past.
The Easter processions are
also amazing; the Corpus Christi, and the pilgrimage
organised by the brotherhood of the Virgen de
la Cabeza, which coincides with the second Sunday
in the month of June.
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