Dramatic Ronda

It was the daily picture on Bing that gave us the incredible sight that is Ronda. One look at the photo and we both instantly knew the look! We were definitely including this jewel into our Andalucian itinerary. Perched on an inland plateau riven by the 100m fissure of El Tajo gorge, Ronda is Málaga province’s most spectacular town and I mean it. It has a superbly dramatic location, and owes its name (‘surrounded’ by mountains), to the encircling Serranía de Ronda. The more we read/saw, the more certain we became that this was a must-see destination.

Hardly anybody has ever regretted the 100 kilometers journey from Malaga, passing narrow mountain streets, when suddenly Ronda appears like an apparition. The famous and really breath-taking bridge alone is worth the travel, but Ronda has more to offer: the only bullring in all Spain which is entirely made of stone, and several interesting buildings in particular from the Moorish period.
The city is divided into an older part, which is the Moorish and aristocratic quarter and the newer section to the south bank of the gorge, built principally after the Reconquest. Because of the cliffs, Ronda was one of the last Moorish cities to fall during the Reconquest of Spain by the Catholic monarchs. 
While we were there we tried re-creating that magical inspiration of a panorama that started this in the first place....here it is, and hoping that it inspires you to visit/travel this not-to-be-missed Andalucian jewel.