Ronda has many hidden gems and no matter how many times you visit, there is always something new to enjoy.

The facades on the cobbled and sometimes steep streets in the old quarter are well worth a second glance as in many cases they conceal something far more interesting behind.

Crossing over the Puente Nuevo and then to the left is the Calle Santo Domingo which eventually leads to the Arco de Felipe V.

Just down on the left is a building with two uneven towers called the Casa del Rey Moro.  What you see dates from the 1700’s and has nothing to do with the Moors although it was built on Moorish foundations.
The house is uninhabited and it’s not possible to visit inside, but at the side is the entrance for the lovely gardens and access to the Mina.   The Mina is the ‘water mine’ leading to the spring at the bottom of the Tajo Gorge. At the beginning of the 14th century when Ronda was a Moorish stronghold between Christian Seville and Moorish Granada, Christian slaves were used to create the secret 365 winding steps descending  deep down through the rock to the gorge below and then bring the water up to the surface to supply the town’s needs.  On various levels there are areas used for armories, bedrooms and water deposits. It is certainly a feat of engineering carried out by those unfortunate prisoners who probably never saw the light of day again!

Descending the steps is not for the faint hearted!  Even though there is a handrail, they are steep and quite high. There is some daylight creeping through the windows cut into the stone and there are strategically placed electric lights but it is still quite dim.    A more gentle experience is to enjoy the gardens. From here there are fine views across the Tajo and down to the Puente Arabe and the Puente Viejo.  They were built over three terraces with the theme of water running throughout by the  French landscape gardner Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier (1861-1930) who is also famous for his design of the Maria Luisa Park in Seville.
These peaceful Ronda gardens were commissioned in 1912 by the then owner the Duquesa de Parcent.  They were built in a typically Hispano/Arabic style and although they don’t cover a huge area, Forestier has created a sensation of space and tranquillity  with his clever use of terraces, fountains and water channels.

The upper garden has been designed in the form of a cross with a central hexagonal pool and surrounding beds  with fragrant roses and orange trees. Pathways of black and white pebbles meander through this garden with its colourful mosaics and neatly trimmed hedges.

Steps lead down to the next terrace that has been laid out in rectangular beds. From the fountain is a gushing water channel stretching the whole length of the garden down to the next terrace.  Adjacent to the house, supported by columns is a lovely vine covered pergola.

The lower terrace has a little more of an Italian style to it. Reached by a double stone staircase, to me this garden has a more romantic feel with it’s more intimate seating areas, miradors and irregular layout. Taller species of trees and manicured cypress and box fill this area but nothing gets in the way of the wonderful views of the town and surrounding countryside.

THE CASA DE JUAN BOSCO is another gem that could easily be missed.
This house is located in the heart of old Ronda in Calle Tenorio and was built in a modernist style at the beginning of the 20th c.    It belonged to one of Ronda’s wealthy families and was then donated to the Salesian Order founded by an Italian priest from Turin, Don Juan Bosco in the late 19th c.  The house was made a Historic Monument in 1931.

This Roman Catholic religious Order has since spread throughout the Catholic world and was originally a charity dedicated to helping the young and poor children of the industrial revolution and the education of young boys to the priesthood.  Don Juan Bosco died in 1888 and never actually lived in this beautiful house.    It is now a retreat and retirement home for priests and the ground floor (which is all that can be visited) has a lavishly tiled patio which has been glassed over.  The other rooms contain antiques and pieces of heavy traditional oak and walnut furniture.  Outside is another great garden location with breathtaking views over the Serrania and then back to the Puente Nuevo. The patio style gardens are on one level.  There are no rare or unusual species of plant here but the variety of mosaic decorations, benches and charming central pool with spouting frogs are all certainly unique.

This is a small richly tiled seating area out in the garden supported by columns and shaded by bougainvillea.
On the back wall is a series of colourful tiles depicting Don Juan Bosco at work.

Casa del Rey Moro                Open 10-7 daily          4euros
Calle Santo Domingo

Casa de Don Juan Bosco       Open 9-6.30 daily       1.50 euros
Calle Tenorio

Ronda Tourist Office, Paseo de Blas Infante, tel 0034  952187119