The Plaza de Toros de Ronda, built in 1785, is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain and the spiritual birthplace of modern bullfighting. The ring was designed by Martín de Aldehuela — the same architect who built the Puente Nuevo — and its elegant neoclassical colonnade of 136 stone columns makes it one of the most photogenic arenas in the country. The museum inside covers the history of bullfighting from the Romero dynasty through to the present day, with costumes, posters, and portraits.
The ring holds bullfights only a few times a year, most notably during the Corrida Goyesca in September when fighters perform in eighteenth-century costumes. At other times the arena is open for visits and the museum is worth a couple of hours even for those with no particular interest in bullfighting — the sheer grandeur of the space, and the mountain views from the sand, are remarkable.