Plaza de España

Ronda


The town's main square was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Chapter 10 tells how, early in the civil war, the 'fascists' of a small town were rounded up in the ayuntamiento (town hall), clubbed, and made to walk the gauntlet between two lines of townspeople before being thrown off a cliff. The episode is based on events that took place here in the Plaza de España. What was the ayuntamiento is now Ronda's parador.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ronda attractions

1. Puente Nuevo

0.04 MILES

Straddling the dramatic gorge of the Río Guadalevín (Deep River) is Ronda's most recognisable sight, the towering Puente Nuevo, so named not because it's…

2. Plaza de Toros

0.09 MILES

In existence for more than 200 years, this is one of Spain's oldest bullrings and the site of some of the most important events in bullfighting history. A…

3. Casa del Rey Moro

0.14 MILES

Several landscaped terraces give access to La Mina, an Islamic stairway of nearly two hundred steps cut into the rock all the way down to the river at the…

5. Museo Lara

0.16 MILES

This crazy, cluttered museum is the private collection of Juan Antonio Lara Jurado, who has been a collector since the age of 10. Now in his 80s, he still…

6. Puente Viejo

0.19 MILES

Taking the narrow Calle Marqués de Salvatierra will bring you to the small Puente Viejo, with views down to the river as it rushes into the gorge.

7. Museo Joaquín Peinado

0.2 MILES

Native Ronda artist Joaquín Peinado was an amigo and contemporary of Picasso's, a fact reflected in his work, with its strong abstract lines, flirtations…

8. Puente Árabe

0.22 MILES

One of three historic bridges spanning the gorge. This one is the oldest, dating from Moorish times.