Carved in two by the sheer-sided El Tajo gorge and set aloft over the rolling hills that form the irresistible duo of the Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves, Ronda is a real romantic gem of Andalusia. Lines of whitewashed villas -their balconies blooming with rhododendron- delineate the streets of the central old town area (known as La Ciudad); the dominating facades of the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor rising above them, the Moorish Arab bathhouses lurking below in subterranean passages. Close to the heart of the city, where two famous bridges span the great canyon, one colossal bullring stands echoing with the memory of many a matador and picador, and ornate palaces, picturesque plazas and sculpted garden terraces compete the picture. Wider boulevards run into the new town, shaded by swaying palms and fringed with cool boutiques that serve up the best wines from the acclaimed wineries in the vicinity. Given its gorgeous veneer and idyllic location in the backwaters of southern Spain, it’s hardly surprising that this town was once a muse to the Romantics, and today Ronda tour guides offer walking routes that reveal where the likes of Hemingway, Eliot and Dumas wrote, walked and wondered.