In Spain's historic Ronda, a brush with a Muslim hero and Ernest Hemingway

The National

06-03-2025

My ears pop as our car winds along the scenic A-397 highway in Malaga, Spain, climbing to 1,063 metres above sea level. We're headed to Ronda, a historic cliffside city where Ernest Hemingway spent many summers and found inspiration for his writing. The ashes of Orson Welles, considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, are buried there. It's also the birthplace of Abbas Ibn Firnas, the Muslim poet, physician and inventor, regarded as the first person to have attempted flight. The drive to Ronda from our base in the tourist city of Marbella lasts a little more than an hour. Surrounded by lush hills on both sides, the journey is a feast for the eyes, with the terrain intermittently offering glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. "On a clear day, you can see Morocco," our driver tells us. Both Ronda and Marbella are part of the Province of Malaga, the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The name Andalusia itself holds traces of its Islamic heritage by having been derived from the Arabic Al Andalus, by which it was known for centuries. Driving inland, we stop for our first activity of the day. Our host, Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavis Marbella Resort, has booked us a tour of an organic olive oil farm. Spain is the world's top producer of olive oil – referred to as "liquid gold" by traders in the past – so it's only natural that we get to experience its production while here. Our experience at La Almazara, which derives its name from the Arabic word for "farm", begins with a stroll among hundreds of olive trees, some hundreds of years old. But the property's main highlight is an imposing 500 square metre structure called The Greenhouse, designed by acclaimed French industrial designer Philippe Starck. Sitting on a hillside and meant to represent a Spanish bull, the striking building houses the farm's mill, a tasting room, a restaurant and a museum. During harvest season, between October and January, visitors are able to watch olives being farmed, pressed and oil packaged from a glass floor inside The Greenhouse. But even during our visit in late February, the experience was no less intriguing, made special by the in-house museum. Inside is an exhibition, which details the history of olive oil, from its introduction to Spain by the Phoenicians – who brought it from what is now modern Lebanon – to how olives and their oils are graded and packaged. In one corner of the museum, a giant painting of Abbas Ibn Firnas watches over us, alongside a replica of what would likely have been his flying machine. Our education done, we are then ushered to La Almazara's reception area, where we are tested on our knowledge as we sample a selection of olive oils. We are taught which olive oils are best for dressing (green immature olives) and for cooking (bright gold). A huge breakfast is then laid and we eat while soaking in some sun in the balcony and taking in the breathtaking scenery. It's a glorious 17°C outside. After some olive oil shopping – they're much cheaper at the farm than at duty free – we bundle into our van and set off for our next activity as our olive oil bottles gently clink in the back. Our next stop is Reservatauro Ronda, a 200-hectare breeding farm for bulls and Andalusian horses, set in the midst of a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, a designated protected zone where the area's biodiversity is maintained and all human activity must be sustainable. Owned by former champion bullfighter Rafael Tejada, who decided to turn his passion for bulls and horses into an unique experience, Reservatauro Ronda gives visitors the chance to can get up close and personal with the animals and learn about them in a natural environment. Various experiences are available, but we're doing The Life of a Spanish Horse, where we're taught the importance of horses to Spanish history and culture, view them at various stages of development and see how they are being cared for and trained. After a little over an hour, we leave behind the smell of fresh dung and friendly snorts and head to Ronda, about a 15-minute drive from Reservatauro Ronda. We stop for lunch at Restaurante Pedro Romero, a popular eatery in the centre of town, named after one of Spain's most popular bullfighters from the 1800s. Known for serving traditional Ronda specialties, Restaurante Pedro Romero also has a hallowed history, having opened in 1974. True to its name, its walls are filled with bull heads and bullfighting memorabilia, including pictures of Reservatauro Ronda owner Tejada. Bullfight fans are known to mob the place on fight days. The restaurant is where we meet our guide, Armando Gil, a Ronda native. Despite growing criticism, bullfighting continues to be a popular sport in some parts of Spain, he tells us, as he leads us across the road to the Plaza de Toros de Ronda, one of the oldest bullrings in the world. Completed in 1785, the bullring is one of the city's main attractions, its striking stone structure having stood the test of time. The ring has a capacity of 5,000, making it one of the largest bullrings in the world. For pop culture fans, this is where Madonna shot the video for her 1994 hit Take a Bow. About a five-minute walk away is the city's crowning glory, the Puente Nuevo or New Bridge. Spanning a 120-metre-deep gorge, with the Guadalevin River flowing below, the attraction was first built in 1735, but collapsed soon after, with the second one one completed in 1793, after 40 years of construction. It's a bigger and, at 98 metres, is a higher version of the nearby pedestrian-only Puente Viejo or Old Bridge, built in the 16th century and standing 31 metres above the river. The two bridges, along with the older Arab Bridge, form a trio that connects Ronda. On the day we visit, the bridges are swarmed with tourists, with the best views from either side of the deep gorge. I will warn you, it's not a site meant for those prone to acrophobia. That said, restaurants and bars on the edges seem to be doing roaring business, with many filled to the brim. A 250-metre walking route along the gorge, offering stunning panoramic views, and which ends at the foot of the Puente Nuevo, is also accessible for a small fee. Gil preferred to take us deeper into town, regaling us with stories about Ronda's history as a trading hub, and it's Islamic past as we walk the narrow cobbled roads. The Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor or Church of Santa Maria la Mayor was the perfect place to end our brief walking tour. Built on the site of what was believed to be a mosque, which in-turn was believed to be built on the site of a temple, construction of the church began in the 1400s and was completed in the 17th century. The timeframe explains the mixture of styles inside, from its Gothic columns to Renaissance architecture influence and Baroque elements. Inside the church is an arch that was part of the mihrab, a prayer niche that indicates the direction of Makkah, still carefully preserved – an illustration of Ronda's rich history and the many conquistadors who wanted to leave their mark.