I have been drawn to take photographs of bullrings on my travels around Spain. And I’m not sure I can explain why.
I stress they have to be empty. The feeling I get is akin to sitting in an empty but old football stadium in the UK. Not a modern one built of steel or those that are soulless.
Some of the most peaceful moments I have enjoyed in Spain were when sat in a very empty bullring.
What I know about the intricacies of architecture you could fit on a slice of chorizo, but there can be no doubt that in cities which have an old bullring, there are also some other fine buildings to be seen.
Ronda
I am proud to be one of those expat wimps who would never consider attending a bullfight.
The idea of sitting next to a family where a young child is standing, up cheering and a wooping as the entrails of a horse are displayed all over the ring (as a friend experienced); is one that horrifies me. I won’t be going there.
But if you want to appreciate some splendid architecture, while having some quiet moments, then you could do worse than sit for a while in a Spanish bullring. After one coach party has left and before the next one arrives. It is possible. I know. I’ve done it, thanks all the same!
First in the arena at Ronda, famed for being the oldest bullring in Spain. Pedro Romero was the first matador to display his skills there in 1775.
I am no architect and my mind goes to sleep when such professionals use words like materiality and assemblage.
I keep it simple. I like the layout of the bullring at Ronda. I like the seats and the boarding in the red and yellow colours of the Spanish flag. You see. I told you I wasn’t an architect!
The first of its kind, in Ronda
Ernest Hemingway was no architect either, but he too appreciated this arena. As he was such a great writer I can almost forgive him his love of the bullfight. Almost.
It’s tranquility I’m after when I sit in a bullring.
Ronda was formerly known as Arunda and has its origins in the VI century B.C. The structure of the present day Ronda took shape many years later in the 17th century.
Today modern day Ronda is awash with admirable architecture and truly impressive statues.
Ronda has the benefit of being just the right size to stroll around in a day. It has some excellent country walks on which you can work up an appetite. Then you can savour some good cooking in one of the many good restaurants in Ronda.
Ronda countryside
There is much else to savour in Ronda and i do recommend you spend a few days there getting to know the place and sampling the surrounding countryside and the villages and towns that make up the Serrania de Ronda.
Grazalema itself is the best known of the Pueblos Blancos (white villages). In the 19th century this was home to a thriving wool industry, making blankets for markets in Seville. Its population has now reduced to just around three thousand and it is heavily reliant on tourism.
It is an excellent place to rent a property and use as your base for a holiday in the region. Walkers often base themselves here before they set off across the vast swathes of countryside.
Valencia bullring
The closest I came to attending a bullfight was in Valencia. I was staying in the third city of Spain on the night when thousands of people were attending such an event. I was struck by how many ticket touts were outside and the high prices they were offering to sell me a ticket for.
Pardon me, but I could spend a three figure sum in Spain in a much more pleasing way than that.
I left it a few days, until after the blood and gore had been cleaned up, and then I went back to admire a bullring that has been in use since the mid nineteenth century.
Do not go to Valencia without marveling at the central indoor market. You do not have to buy so much as an orange. Just admire the building inside and out. It is one of the largest indoor markets in Spain and is a magnificent construction.
La Lonja, Valencia
It was silk that ensured that what had once been an ailing city, came back to life in the 18th century. Silk restored Valencia and its economy. Walk across the road from the central market and admire the La Lonja silk exchange which is now one of many buildings in Spain that has been labelled a world heritage site by UNESCO.
I particularly like the Eixample area of the city. It has some of the best shops and restaurants in the city. It took some finding but I also enjoyed wandering around the ceramic museum that is housed in the spectacular building, Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas on Calle Poeta Querol.
On its top floor is a full scale reconstruction of an old traditional Valencian kitchen. But, sadly, no paella. Never mind. There’s plenty of that on offer in Valencia. A work of art in its own right and the best served anywhere in Spain.
Ceramic museum, Valencia
I tired myself out walking around Valencia. I like to see Spanish cities on foot, but this was hard work. The first time I went to Valencia I didn’t get what all the fuss was about.
On the next visit, I did. It truly is a city that takes some discovering.
Some sites are well known. There is the superb city of arts and sciences and that must be seen. But there are many other attractions to be enjoyed in Valencia.
For those who like Gothic architecture, there are many such buildings in Valencia. They include the cathedral in Plaza de la Reina. It boasts art by Goya and a chapel dedicated to the Borgia family.
The attraction within that brings in most tourists is the chalice that is reputed to be the very one Christ sipped from during the Last Supper – the Holy Grail itself. Of interest to both those who are into religion, and those who enjoy works of fiction!
Antequera bullring
Antequera is famous for having the most churches in Spain. This excellent, often bypassed location is a nice drive inland from the more manic Malaga. Like Ronda, this is another city you can walk around in a day. The bullring is a must see.
But try telling that to certain tourist authorities in Spain who cannot seem to grasp what they have and fail to understand that many a tourist wants to see a bullring, minus the bull.
I despair at how some such venues are open so rarely out of showtime hours.
A short ride to church in Antequera
If you go to Antequera be sure to explore all that the place has to offer. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate the sheer grandeur of the churches there.
Panoramic views of Antequera can be savoured from above the Arab castle that dominates the town. The Moors built this on top of Roman ruins when they seized the town in the 8th century, and changed its name from Antikaria to Medina Antecaria.
Get those legs walking and continue to climb upwards. You will be rewarded with the best view of the numerous church towers and convents that peek out from between the whitewashed houses.
Don’t forget to stand on El Torcal Nature Reserve and admire the scenery.
On the edge of the town are the Dolmen Caves, the most famous in Europe. Three vast huge rock tombs dating from 2.500BC. They were discovered in 1905 by a local gardener. When fully excavated they revealed the skeletons of hundreds of Iberian people who inhabited the peninsular forty five thousand years before. The caves are open to the public.
Bullring, Sanlucar de Barrameda
I found a quaint bullring in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a good town in which to base yourself for exploring locations such as Jerez and Cadiz.
It was here that I sat quietly and watched some teenage would be matadors practice their moves. Unlike me they didn’t seem to be working up a thirst. I admired the moves made by the boys in the ring but I needed a drink.
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is the only place where the sherry known as Manzanilla can be produced. This is the delightful dry sherry that gets its flavour thanks to the yeast forming a protective layer over the fermenting liquid.
I have never thought of myself as a sherry person, but I do have a passion for Manzanilla. The tangy taste is achieved when the ageing wine absorbs the salt from the sea breezes which this stretch of coastline is renowned for.
There are many bodegas in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Tour Bodegas La Cigarrera, located in a building that is full of character. You will find it in the old part of town. Try a full bodied Oloroso, but not if you are driving. It has an alcohol volume of 18%.
One of the best value white wines in Andalucia is Barbadillo. In an altogether grander building, this bodega also produces sherry.
Would be matadors, Sanlucar de Barrameda
In Osuna, near the self styled capital of bullfighting Seville, I admired the petite ring on the outskirts of this classy town.
Osuna isn’t the first place people think of going to in order to see the bullrings of Spain. They tend to drive right on by and go to the neighbouring big city of Seville.
But it is these old, out of the way and quaint constructions that I admire the most. Some have been rebuilt on the outside, but have kept the seating as it was originally. They have been saved from falling into ruin – although there are plenty of former bullrings to be seen across Spain.
Osuna bullring
Osuna is in the area known as La Campina, to the east of Seville. I guarantee that, in the summer, you will get very hot under the collar here.
In the 16th century the Ducal family of Osuna was one of the richest in Spain and it is they who are responsible for the splendour of Osuna.
Fine architecture is everywhere here. The Colegiata de Santa Maria de la Asuncion is a solid piece of Spanish renaissance architecture that is home to many fine works of art.
Inside there is a little chapel. It is the resting place of the wood and stone sarcophaguses of the Dukes of Osuna.
Palacio del Cabido Colegial, Osuna
The Palacio del Marques de la Gomera, is now a hotel whose interior is less impressive than its façade. At number 16 on the same street is the distinctive Palacio del Cabido Colegial, another example of why Osuna has been declared a site of historical and artistic interest.
With bullfighting being banned in Barcelona (subject to an appeal) authorities in Spain are facing an increasing challenge to work out what they can use the buildings for if not to satisfy those who class animal carnage as an art form. Rock concerts are popular and bigger and bigger names from the world of popular music now perform in such arenas.
It’s OK for them. They don’t have to sit on the uncomfortable seats!
Be warned. If you plan to sit through two hours of Bruce Springsteen, Shakira or El Barrio – bring a cushion to sit on.
The future of bullfighting, no black & white issue
If some of the older, smaller arenas were not to host bullfighting, heaven knows what they will be used for. There has been talk of a ban on bullfighting moving to the south of Spain.
I fully expect to be pushing up the daisies before that day arrives.
