The Plaza de Toros famous bullring of Ronda

Ronda's famous Plaza de Toros bull fighting ring

Saturday, November 2, 2019          Ronda

Michael and I took a walk after lunch to visit Ronda's bullring. It was interesting, as there is a museum of bullfighting, with videos and artifacts. They also have a Spanish riding school and we saw some horses in their stables. 

Plaza de Espana, outside our parador, clean and bright after the morning rain

Exterior of the Plaza de Toros in Ronda

Bronze statue of El Toro

Walking on the main street takes you to the entrance of the bullring, as well as external statues and gardens

The matador statue - one of two statues outside the plaza

Doorknocker for the Plaza de Toros

Below is information from the bullring's website:

"Ronda’s elegant stone bullring was opened in 1784, when it was the setting for Spain’s first ever corrida de toros (bullfight). Partly for this reason, and partly because it has served as the ‘home ground’ for bullfighting’s two greatest dynasties, it is considered the birthplace of this spectacle. 

"Ronda’s bullring is also home to a bullfighting museum. Visitors learn the history and customs of bullfighting, as well as view the elaborate costumes worn by bullfighters. Also explored is the role that Ronda’s Romero and Ordoñez families have played in developing the Spanish bullfight.

"The Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Ronda occupies a special place in modern Spanish culture and history as the home of the Rondeño style of bullfighting. The bullring was built entirely of stone in the 18th century, during the golden years of Pedro Romero’s reign as champion bullfighter.

The full scope of the rueda - the circle of sand - which is the largest in Spain

Two tiers of Tuscan columns enclose the seats in the bullring

Michael looks right at home

The only bullring in Spain where all the seats are covered - although the arena only seats 5000

The chambers and pulley system for keeping and releasing the bulls

"Many tourist guides will tell you the Ronda bullring is the oldest and largest in Spain, -- in fact the story is confusing. The bullring only has seating for 5,000 spectators, hardly the largest in the world, but the rueda, which is the large round circle of sand, is the largest in the world at 66m, making it 6m larger than Spain’s biggest bullring, the Plaza Toros Las Ventas in Madrid. 

"The bullring in Sevilla is considered older having commenced construction in 1761, and was completed in 1785, compared to Ronda’s commencement in 1779 and completionin 1784, though purists agree Ronda’s bullring should be entitled to the crown since it was first to stage a corrida. However, in May of 1784 during the first inaugural corrida to be held in Ronda’s Plaza de Toros, part of the stand collapsed forcing its closure until repairs could be made.

"Ronda’s bullring is unique in having all of the seating under cover. The stands 

were constructed in two levels of seating of 5 raised rows per level and 136 Tuscan sandstone columns forming 68 arches provide support for the top level of seating and the roof of the Plaza de Toros. The main door is large enough for horses and carriages to enter the rueda."

The stables of the royal riding school

The riding arena

The arena for the Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Ronda, Spain's oldest order of horsemanship

Home to the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda, Spain’s oldest and most noble order of horsemanship, an order that traces its heritage back to 1485, and the year the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella defeated the Moors in Ronda, thus bringing the city back under Christian rule after 773 years of Islamic rule.

While we were visiting the bullring, it began raining pretty hard again, so we returned home by about 4 PM. We had a quiet evening. Michael went to a classical guitar concert, and I stayed home to pack for our visit to Ubeda tomorrow, after a side trip to Granada and the Alhambra.

While we were visiting, the rain returned with a vengeance...

A quiet late afternoon with our view from our parador patio

A little rain never stopped us....Rainy Ronda

We toured all morning in the pouring rain - a tough group!

A little bit of home in Ronda, Spain

Saturday, November 2, 2019               Ronda

Our weather on the trip has been spectacular - warm and sunny, while back home Chicago and Wisconsin had 4 to 6 inches of snow just in time for Halloween. Today, however, we needed our umbrellas, rain jackets, and boots, as it was pouring rain throughout the day. Below are some of the impressions of the rainy tour of Ronda.

Outside the bullfighting stadium at the start of our tour with Armando

Walking the streets of El Mercadillo

Overlooking the balcony rail in the Garden of Cuerca, overlooking the New Bridge

Crossing over into Old Town to see the highlights

A narrow street leading to the Santa Maria de Mayor Iglesia

Michael contemplating the church

Standing in the plaza outside of the church, while learning about its history from Armando

Just the oranges left behind, knocked down by the rainfall

Near the Plaza Maria Auxillidoro

Petting the cat, trying to stay dry in the rain

Old Town treasures in Ronda

A tile map of Ronda at the beginning of Old Town

Saturday, November 2, 2019           Ronda

We continued our tour with Armando of Ronda - walking back to the Plaza Espana and then crossed the bridge to Old Town. Our first stop was a tour of the Santa Maria la Mayor Iglesia, where, for some reason, I bought a Spanish tapas cookbook. According to the archaeological studies, the church of the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation was located at the site of a mosque from the 14^th Century, which itself was built on the remains of a paleochristian basilica from the 5th century A.D. Some historians also date the church at the age of the Roman Empire, with evidence of a temple of Diana on the site. The Catholic monarchs, after the conquest of the city, ordered the building of a church in the place of the mosque, and remodeling started in 1485 and ended at the end of the 17th century. 

This minaret is all that's left of a medieval mosque in the Old Town section

Walking to visit the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation - Romanesque double arcade lines the plaza

Santa Maria la Mayor Iglesia

Next, we toured the Palacio Mondragon, where I bought a bunch of iron keys, 

fashioned to look antique – my shopping tastes today must be influenced by 

some miasma in the air? The Palacio Mondragon was built to house the town’s 

Moorish royalty in the early 14^th century, but was re-styled by a Catholic family 

from Seville at the close of the 15^th century. Its design style is mixed, reflecting the blend of cultures that have shaped this town.

Palacio Mondragon - Moorish and Christian influences, now a municipal museum

Courtyard with well

Armando discussing the architectural details and Moorish influences

Gardens and fountains add to the beauty of the palace

Stones describe the pattern of the herald in the pavement

Overlooks to the gorge and the valley from the gardens of the palace

We then stopped at the Plaza Maria Auxillidora (which I had visited yesterday for 

those beautiful evening photos). Our final stop was the Casa de Bosco. This house was built by a wealthy family in a modernist style at the beginning of the 20^th century. It is located on the River Tajo’s edge, in the old section of Ronda. It was given to the Salesian religious order of priests and now serves as a retreat and a retirement home for priests. Only the ground floor and the gardens can be visited by the public.

Casa de Bosco 

Beautiful Moorish tiles in the Casa de Bosco

Art nouveau details in this building in Old Town

Patio near the Plaza Maria Auxillidora and restaurant with pretty courtyard

Pink and salmon courtyard colors

Courtyard well

The rain today brought new waterfalls into the gorge

Walking along the bridge - time to return to our parador

We had one final downpour as we walked our way back to the Parador – getting 

quite wet in those last 15 minutes. We were back by 12:30 and Elena asked that we be prompt for lunch, as there was a special tapas extravaganza planned.