What more could you want?! The ancient port city of Jerez in neighbouring province Cádiz is well worth a visit during your stay at La Cazalla de Ronda. Just under 2 hours drive from our luxury villa rental in Ronda, Andalusia is a city famous for its Carthusian horses (considered to be the purest strain of Andalusian), flamenco and, most of all, its sherry wine.
What’s the first image that comes to mind when you think of Spain? Blue skies? Beaches? Flamenco? Bullfighting? Paella? If you Google ‘Spain’ in images, actually the photos are predominantly of fantastic architecture and little white houses cascading down mountainsides. These are the pueblos blancos (white villages) and their strategically-defensive hill-top positions, narrow cobbled streets and brilliantly-white casas reflecting back the bright Andalusian sunshine make for interesting and picturesque places to visit. Here are five of our favourites within a short drive from your base at La Cazalla, our secluded luxury villa rental in Ronda:
Dazzling in the bright Andalusian sunshine, the pueblos blancos (white villages) perch precariously on the mountainsides of southern Spain and are a delight for the discerning traveller seeking an authentic experience of the region. Tourist towns they are not, and wandering peacefully through their narrow streets with splashes of brightly-coloured potted flowers is a salve for the soul in this age of instant gratification and constant stimulation. Relax. Take a seat alongside the older town caballeros admiring the view and discussing the weather, and immerse yourself, slow-tourism style. Sample our five favourite interesting and lesser-visited white villages in the Serranía de Ronda:
Last year we wrote that we had started to feed the lonely white horse living in the oak forest opposite the house and, of course, like any animal in need of rescuing, feeding him brought him to the house. The one thing that we really wanted to do for Oberon was find a companion for him. He’s lived on his own for SO long and his loneliness made us feel sad. However, we are pleased to report that this weekend, we got him some friends. Just look at how happy he is, with his little victory run!
Last week we saw a magical sight on the wild hillside opposite La Cazalla – a single white horse moving through the oak trees.