Ronda, Hilltop city in Málaga Province, Spain
This settlement spans both sides of a 120-meter (394-foot) deep gorge carved by the Guadalevín River through the terrain, connected by an 18th-century stone bridge standing 98 meters (322 feet) above the bottom.
Roman settlers founded Arunda here in the 1st century BC, before Muslim rulers took control from 713 and transformed it into a cultural center, until Christian forces under Ferdinand the Catholic conquered it in 1485 and hispanicized the settlement.
The city has contributed significantly to Spanish literature and art, particularly through works by Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, both of whom spent extended periods here and documented the gorge and local life in their writings.
Regular bus services operate between the bus station and Málaga, Seville, and Granada, while car rental facilities are available on the outskirts and visitors can reach main attractions on foot as the historic center is compact in layout.
Three natural caves beneath the Palace of the Moorish King served as underground water storage and refuge during Islamic rule, with stone channels directing spring water from the gorge into the defense system.
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