Toro, Toro

Submitted by Christina Valhouli on Wed, 2007-07-25 09:08.

When we managed to tear ourselves away from the beach near Estepona in Spain, we stopped in the town of Ronda en route to Granada. So what makes Ronda special? For a start, the city is divided in two by a massive gorge. A "new" bridge was built in the 18th century to connect the two areas. Ronda is also home to modern bullfighting, and we checked out the local bullring (but didn't see any bulls or matadors. Fights are only held in September). Legendary Rondeño bullfighter Pedro Romero created modern bullfighting when he broke away from the prevailing Jerez school of horseback bullfighting in the 18th century, and created a style of bullfighting where matadors stood their ground against the bull on foot. Romero was immortalised in a portrait by Goya (and often alluded to by Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises, one of my favourite novels). I would love to come back in September, when Ronda hosts the Goyesque Fair, where matadors are dressed in traditional 18th century costumes.