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.