Acinipo & Setenil Circular

From Ronda, we drop steadily down into the valley of La Indiana and then make our first major climb, a 12km steady ascent. At the top, we stop is at the Roman ruins of Acinipo, a town built on a high escarpment more than 2,000 years ago to house retired soldiers. Whilst most of the buildings have collapsed and only piles of stones remain dotted around the site, the remains of the Roman theatre, which was originally large enough to seat 2,000 people, are well preserved (partially rebuilt) and impressive. A few yards behind the rear seats of the theatre is the edge of the escarpment, with amazing views across the valley below and out to the Grazalema mountains.

We then enjoy a great descent into a river valley and the white village of Setenil de la Bodegas. This was also a Roman settlement but is likely to have been inhabited for many centuries beforehand due to the unusually large overhanging limestone cliffs which create shelter from the prevailing elements. To this day, “cave house” dwellings built into the rock form the basis of many houses, shops and cafes. We enjoy a short refreshment stop in one of these cafes before heading back up the hill to Ronda.​