Casa del Gigante Plasterwork

The House of the Giant, otherwise known as the Casa del Gigante in Ronda’s old city is one of the most complete examples of Nasrid architecture outside of Granada and definitely a destination that should be on your list of places to see in Ronda.

Located in a quiet plaza behind the Santa Maria La Mayor church, and directly across from the Museo Peinado, the Casa del Gigante is just 2 minutes walk from the Puente Nuevo and Plaza d’España, and not too far from the Mondragon Palace. A statue of Vincent Espinel is located directly in front of the entrance to the House of the Giant. The palace was already more than 100 years old at the time of the fall of Ronda to Ferdinand’s army in 1485 and apart from some redecorating in the 17th century is still largely complete as a Moorish building.

This part of Ronda was originally filled with smaller medieval houses but in the 14th century the area was demolished, this happened around the time Ronda had become an important city in Moorish Andalucia, and most likely under the rule of the King Abomolec. A nobel court developed in Ronda so space for their homes was required and the area around where the Casa del Gigante is located was ideal being very close to the royal court.

The current name Casa del Gigante refers to the Phoenician-Hittite statue sitting atop the front courtyard wall, although this is just a copy, the original is located inside the main hall of the building. Phoenician people founded nearby Acinipo long before Roman and Moorish influence arrived.

The statue of El Gigante is believed to have been part of a pair found in the Barrio San Francisco during the 16th century, a time when that part of Ronda was undergoing extensive rebuilding. Of course another legend has it that El Gigante was recovered during Moorish times by the original builder of the house. We’ll never know the truth and will just have to keep guessing.

The original entrance to the house is no longer possible to use, a neighbouring property was built in later years that completely blocked the entrance, so we must enter through the courtyard, which in former times was sealed. Entering the Casa del Gigante courtyard finds the visitor in a small courtyard with a large orange tree taking pride of place. The palace itself is built around a second inner courtyard which is only accessible after entering the house, and from which all other rooms lead. The walls still show vestiges of Arabic tiles containing poetry and verses from the Koran.

These days the house is a small museum, on the top floor is a 10 minute video presentation describing the history of Ronda over the last 5,000 years, whilst on the ground floor we have the inner courtyard and ponds, the main hall containing the Gigante statue and a beautifully restored Nasrid coffered ceiling, and upstairs, a small museum showing some of the restoration undertaken in the Casa del Gigante.

Casa del Gigante Opening Times

Autumn and Winter
Monday to Friday 10am till 6pm (10:00-18:00)
Saturdays 10am till 1.45pm (10:00-13:45) then 3pm till 6pm (15:00-18:00)
Sundays and Public holidays 10am – 3pm (10:00 – 15:00)

Spring and Summer
Monday to Friday 10am till 7pm (10:00-19:00)
Saturdays 10am till 1.45pm (10:00-13:45) then 3pm till 6pm (15:00-18:00)
Sundays and Public holidays 10am – 3pm (10:00 – 15:00)

GPS Location
Latitude: 36.738428 (36° 44′ 18.34” N)
Longitude: -5.165699 (5° 9′ 56.52” W)

Price of Entry
2€ per individual
1€ if part of a group of 10 or more, and children
Free if resident in Ronda

Museums in Ronda

Ronda’s museums are a delightful way to spend a few hours for both holiday makers and residents alike. Children will live the Lara Museum, while adults may prefer the museum of wine, and art aficionados will prositively love the collection ofJoaquin Peinado.

Ronda Municipal Museum
Located in the historic Mondragon Palace (Palacio de Mondragon), the Municipal Museum of Ronda details our city’s history from the stone age to the present time with some very well made exhibits such as the Pileta Cave reconstruction, the stone age hut, iron age technology including sword making, the Roman period with an important exhibit on Acinipo, Moorish Ronda including a detailed exhibit of Arab funeral rites, and a very interesting display on life in Ronda’s heyday, the 17th and 18th centuries.

Real Maestranza Bullfighting and Cavalry Museum
“Everything you wanted to know about bullfighting but were afraid to ask” is how this museum should be described. The Real Maestranza has a long history since 1572 of training cavalry officers for the Spanish Crown, and it was here that the Romero family created the modern Rondeño form of bullfighting, and here too that the Ordoñez family became celebrities.

The museum charts bullfighting from it’s early days to the present with exhibitions of photos and items used in bullfighting. The other half of the museum covers the training of cavalry, which is the actual purpose of the Real Maestranza, and includes exhibits of weaponry and armour used through the ages. Visit the Real Maestranza website.

Lara Museum, Calle Armiñan
The Lara Museum is an unusual collection of antiques collected by Juan Lara Jurado, the founder of the museum. The collection has been put together into galleries that might not seem immediately related but actually takes the visitor on a journey through science history of the last few hundred years.

Displays on weaponry including pistols, knives, and catapults, sit side by side with displays on clocks, scientific instruments, cinema and photography and much more. Exhibits capture the imagination and despite some of the bloodlust such the displays on bullfighting or inquisition torture instruments, the Museum is actually quite child friendly. Visit the Lara Museum website.

Hunting Museum, Calle Armiñan
This is an unusual museum, and tends only to attract diehard hunting fans with it’s displays of guns, pictures of hunters and their catch, and of course taxidermy of animals hunted in the campo surrounding Ronda and further afield by Spanish hunters. The Museum also helps organise hunting expeditions in the Serrania; a shop with hunting supplies is also onsite.

The Bandit Museum
The only museum dedicated to bandits and highwaymen in Spain, this is a real experience of Ronda history not to be missed. Back in the 1800s bandits roamed the hills and valleys of the Serrania, and became so powerful in Andalucia the government in Madrid in 1844 ordered the creation of the Guardia Civil to put an end to their thieving ways. As late as the 1930s isolated pockets of bandits were still robbing wealthy travellers on their way to Ronda.

The 1950s saw a small resurgence of banditry as communists and socialists opposed to General Franco’s regime waged a guerilla war from many of the same caves previously used by the bandits. The museum itself traces the stories of these folk legends from anecdotes and official court testimony, and is an important place of research for academics and writers interested in the psychology of the bandit. Visit the Bandit Museum website.

Interpretation Centre for the New Bridge (Puente Nuevo)
Have you ever wanted to be inside the New Bridge, looking out the window at the valley below, imagining what it must have been like to be a prisoner shackled beneath the traffic, so near to the life you knew, but so far from it as well. Views of the Parador and the hanging houses seem so much better when looking from down on the landing below.

Museum of Wine
Archeological evidence suggests Ronda was a favoured wine growing district from Roman times, and probably a lot earlier, and whilst the number of commercial vineyards around Ronda is small, the industry is expected to grow. The wine museum in Ronda traces the history of wine making from neolithic times, through Roman, Visigothic, and Arab time to the present. Visit the Museum of Wine website.

Museum of Joaquin Peinado
Born in Ronda, Joaquin Peinado is one of the most influential painters of the early 20th century, and one of the leading lights of Spanish contemporary art. Sadly Peinado passed away in 1975, long before the museum in his honour was created. Located in the Moctezuma Palace in La Cuidad, the building is a fitting home for one of Ronda’s greatest sons. Visit the Museum of Joaquin Peinado website

Rilke Museum, Hotel Reina Victoria
Rainer Maria Rilke, described as one of the German world’s greatest poets, spent three months in Ronda at the end of 1912 and beginning of 1913, staying at the Hotel Reina Victoria. It was while here that he wrote part of his 6th Elegy and the “Spanische Trilogie”. Room 207 at the Hotel Reina Victoria has been converted into a small museum honouring Rilke’s connection with Ronda.

Puente Nuevo Interpretation Museum

The Puente Nuevo is one of Ronda’s most famous landmarks, in fact the bridge is one of the most photographed manmade structures in Spain. The interpretation museum is inside the bridge, in the large room under the road. At verious times this has been a prison, a hotel, and a bar.

Descending the outside steps visitors find themselves standing on a wide ledge overlooking the gorge, and giving a great view of the arches of the bridge up close. You can also take a photo through the arch to the mountains.

Then enter the bridge and climb a short staircase into the central room, which contains a detailed history of the bridge, why it was needed, how long it took to build, and how it was built. From here it is also possible to look through the doors of the room to the valley below.

To get into the interpretation museum of the Puente Nuevo simply descend the steps on the north side closest to the Parador Hotel. You’ll need to pay 2€ per person but the view of the gorge below and the photo opportunity of the hills in the distance taken through the arch of the bridge is well worth it.

Puente Nuevo Interpretation Centre Opening Times
Autumn and Winter
Monday to Friday 10am till 6pm (10:00-18:00)
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10am till 3pm (10:00-15:00)

Spring and Summer
Monday to Friday 10am till 7pm (10:00-19:00)
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10am till 3pm (10:00-15:00)

GPS Location
Latitude: 36.740724 (36° 44′ 26.61” N)
Longitude: -5.165940 (5° 9′ 57.38” W)

Price of Entry
2€ per individual
1€ if part of group larger than 10, or children