Yzabelle Bostyn
THE Times has named these two Malaga towns the ‘real Spain’ after ‘walking the footsteps of poets.’
Washington Irving, Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Disraeli and Rainer Maria Rilke all found inspiration in a ‘hidden corner of Andalucia’- Ronda.
Described by Times’ journalist James Stewart as the most ‘spectacular urban setting’ in Europe, the newspaper has lauded the city as an example of ‘Old Spain.’
“Its cat’s cradle of white streets is haunted by the ghosts of Moorish princes, soundtracked by the strum of guitars and the tinkle of fountains,” he wrote.
“You won’t find it written on signposts but you’ll know it when you experience it. It’s the country of pueblos blancos and half-remembered battles and scenery of savage beauty.”
Stewart followed in the example of the romantic poets, exploring the ancient enclave on foot with a tour designed by local travel group, Pura Aventura.
The journalist describes walking through the quiet Camino Viejo with only the distant sounds of barking dogs, cockerels and church bells to accompany him.
He heads towards Montejaque, a village famed for never being touched by the plague where bandoleros pop out of the town hall and old men prune orange trees in the square.
Downhill near Benaojan, Stewart shelters at his hotel, the Molino del Santo, which he aptly describes as a ‘dream of Moorish paradise.’
The next day, he sets out to Grazalema national park, a natural haven where wildflowers ‘explode like popcorn.’
After exploring the town and wandering beneath circling vultures, he heads onto La Melonera wine makers.
“This Spain should be exactly the sort of thing we seek, rather than a gaudy coast. It certainly used to be, as those early visitors knew.
“Far beyond the vineyard, beneath a vibrating sky, a white village lies among hills; a salt stain on a bolt of copper-coloured silk. Old Spain is still out there. It’s not that you need to know where to look. You need to know how,” Stewart said.
