Ronda
Ronda has been inhabited for about 2000 years and at one point was a major center of Moorish rule in Spain. Even today the last traces of Arab influence are still visible within the old town, and have not completely been erased by the descendants of Christian warriors who retook Andalucia in the 1500s.
Arriving in Ronda most people are immediately struck by how chaotic the town seems, busy little side streets seem to meander of everywhere, leading one to believe they might even be a major thoroughfare. In fact getting around Ronda is very easy, one could walk past all of the major attractions in a couple of hours. Hotels Combined have Spain covered, and staying a Ronda hotel for a few nights is no problem.
Within the town we have Spain's oldest bull fighting arena, and one of the most impressive bridges in the world that spans the gorge, along with a dozen or more museums, several lovely churches, and of course the Moorish walk around the old town and down into the gorge.
Cute cobble stone streets with white washed houses, and windows filled with annual flowers make walking through Ronda seem like you've stepped back in time at least 50 years. Even more so when you see the old men congregating in the little plazas, or the housewives leaning out their windows as they survey the street outside, perhaps the peace will be broken by neighbors suddenly greeting each other as if they its been years since they last met.
If you're looking for something a little different to get away from the crowds, the nearby Cueva de la Pileta is worth a visit. The Limestone hills around Ronda are filled with caves and at Pileta paleolithic man kept a record of his hunts and the phases of the moon using charcoal, blood and other ingredients to paint the walls. This is truly worth seeing.
A little further away we also have the ruins of the Roman town of Acinipo with its ampitheater and active archeological digs. Back in the first century, Acinipo was one of the Roman Empire's most important cities in Iberia, and was granted to right to mint coins.
By far the most impressive reason to visit Ronda and the surrounding district is the Pueblos Blancos of the Sierra de Grazalema, and the natural park filled with beautiful endemic species. Even if you're not a nature buff you'll be impressed with the quaint white-walled villages of Grazalema, Zahara, or El Bosque, which for so long formed the frontier between Christian and Muslim Spain.
I hope this whimsical bit of writing encourages you to visit, and I'd love to read what you have to say about the town you live in, maybe we can make this some kind of bloggers home town type of meme.
