I’ve experienced some pretty incredible things in my life – even spotted a Russian military ship during a Baltic storm – but honestly, nothing has hit me as hard emotionally as seeing The Puente Nuevo in Ronda, Spain, in a video game. You really need to see it with your own eyes to understand how breathtaking and unreal it is. It genuinely looks like something ripped straight out of a Dark Souls game! Just the sight of it is gorgeous, haunting, and totally otherworldly, especially when you’re looking at it from a distance.
Ronda is a small town in southern Spain with a rich history. The area around it was inhabited in prehistoric times, and over the centuries, it has been influenced by various cultures, including the Romans, Suebi, Visigoths, and Arabs. The town is dramatically situated on top of a steep gorge called El Tajo, where the Guadalevín River flows through, effectively dividing the city in two. Getting from one side of Ronda to the other requires a significant descent, a crossing over the only bridge, and then a steep climb back up. Because of its strong defenses, Ronda wasn’t captured by the Crown of Castile until 1485 – seven years before the discovery of America and almost 250 years after the fall of Córdoba.
As the city grew on both sides of the deep gorge, a better way to connect the two sides was essential for economic growth. The existing bridge was located far down in the gorge, forcing long detours for transporting goods. Initial attempts to build a new bridge in 1735 failed when it collapsed just six years later. A more successful project began in 1759 and was completed in 1793. This impressive bridge stands 105 meters high, spans 66 meters in length, and features three arches.
I’ve traveled both ways myself. Crossing the bridge is quick – less than a minute. But walking the longer route takes at least one to two hours, depending on your fitness level. If you’re carrying anything, expect the trip to take twice as long, and it’s definitely not fun to do in the hot sun.
This is what some of the trails look like:
The bridge has become the subject of many stories, particularly some recent and disturbing ones. Legend says it served as a prison during the Spanish Civil War, and prisoners were thrown from it to their deaths – a detail that Ernest Hemingway hinted at in his novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
Before finishing up, it’s worth noting that Ronda has several old mills built right next to the river and beneath the cliffs. These mills were cleverly designed to use the river’s water to power windmills.
I was reading about these amazing gardens, and it turns out they’re really old – they go all the way back to the Middle Ages! What’s even cooler is that they were considered so valuable, they actually built walls around them to keep them safe.
I hope you liked reading this travel diary entry. In my next post, I’ll be sharing about the stunning walls of Ronda – they’re among the best-preserved and most beautiful I’ve ever seen!
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2025-10-08 17:43