| "Nothing is more surprising in all of Spain, than this wild little city," wrote the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. "I have searched the dreamed city everywhere, and have at last found it in Ronda! Come and See..."
Ronda
Situated in the Serrania de Ronda mountain range, Ronda is perched high atop the edge of a steep chasm it overlooks the El Tajo gorge, which splits the town in two. The two halves of the town face one another, with the ancient Moorish quarters on one side, and the more modern section of El Mercadillo on the other. A stone bridge spans the gorge, linking old with new. Crossing the Puento Nuevo is an excitement not suitable for everyone. It is a five hundred foot drop to the river below.
Ronda has Spain's oldest and most beautiful bull ring, The Plaza de Toros, built in 1785 and is still active today. The ring was also used as a backdrop by Madonna in her 1994 music video for the song Take A Bow. Bullfighting aficionados discuss it in the cafe's as though it were only yesterday.
Speaking of bulls: Orson Wells had a deep connection to Ronda and the local Ordonez family of bullfighters. And although he died in his Hollywood Hills home, he chose Ronda as his final resting place and is buried in a graveyard of bulls on the outskirts of town.
And there is more: Ronda was Ernest Hemingway's favorite city in all of  Spain. He said that it is the perfect place to bolt with someone and for romance, even better than Paris! He used the dramatic scenery as a backdrop in his novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, describing prisoners of the Spanish Civil War being thrown alive over the edge of the Puento Nuevo into the river gorge.
Dark Tales surrounding the stone bridge abound: Ronda's famous bullfighter Pedro Romero came home early one day to find his wife in bed with her lover. In a jealous rage, he stabbed the lover through the heart, then carried his wife through the streets and threw her over the edge of the Puento Nuevo. It was as they say, a crime of passion. When Prosper Merimee heard this dark tale, he immediately began to write the famous story Carmen, which Bizet later turned into an Opera.
And finally, Twice a month, the Plaza de Torros transforms itself into a giant flea market and Gypsies from all over Andalusia are drawn to the open air of the historic ring to sell their wares. There are excellent deals to be made for those who know how to bargain.
RONDA AND THE GYPSY CHRONICLES
 When I began writing The Gypsy Chronicles the story took place in the wine producing region of Rioja. Basque country. My Gypsies did not care for Rioja and insisted upon a move... Somewhere in Andalusia they said, and so I moved my characters to Seville...
Wonderful, thought I, Seville. The birthplace of my soul. But alas, the fresh joy of that relocation was not to last. Some of the characters found it impossible to settle.
Seville suited my Gypsies well enough, but the wine makers were without a suitable terroir in which to plant their vines. Seville will not do, they warned ~ a higher, cooler altitude is required to produce our fine red wine.
Searching on the internet for a city in Andalucia that produced fine wines I found Ronda and as it turned out it was perfect for every character in the book: My Gypsies were pleased because it is located in Andalusia; the wine makers were impressed with the excellent terroir; the Saint rejoiced, for there is a convent; and the diamond thief? Well look around: Bandoleers used to hide out in the rocky mountainous caves surrounding town. Ronda was perfect!
And so, just weeks before the book was headed for the bindery, I began to rewrite, deepening the sense of place.
RONDA
| | ............................................................................................ Carmen Amaya Carmen Amaya was a force of nature.
Her dancing was supernatural - for she did not exert energy in her strenuous movements, but generated.
Ole'!
Estrella Morente
Estrella Morente is one of Flamenco's brightest stars. Her parents are legendary performers Enrique Morente and Aurora Carbonell, and she is married to bullfighter Javier Conde. With such impeccable lineage and talent it is easy to understand why Morente is considered Gypsy royalty in Spain - and also why I named a character, Estrella de la Flamenca, after her. In the wonderfully old fashioned Zambra performance (video above) Estrella Morente lays claim to the stage and to her crowd. Her every move is pure authority and transmits a sensibility of great strength. Ole! Note the Alhambra castle in the final scene, which links this Moorish inspired piece with Spain's ancient past .
Semana Santa
When I was building up to the final scene in TGC, I sent a quiet wish for inspiration of a divine nature, for it was no ordinary scene I was after. A week later, inspired by Semana Santa, the idea came to me fully formed.
Semana Santa inspired the wedding procession scene: Gypsy Virgin Estrella de la Flamenca and Alejandro Sabicas ride atop a Charmed Matrimonial bed through the narrow alleyways of Ronda. Steven Siciliano said that The Gypsy Chronicles is unorthodox - he is right.
De Colores
The popular folk song, De Colores is sung all over the world in Spanish Speaking countries. When singing De Colores, it is customary to join hands and sway and expresses how when your soul is full of grace it is as beautiful as a field blooming in Springtime colors. The charm of this beloved folk song is used to great effect in The Gypsy Chronicles. Here is best link (Los Angeles Public Library Archive) to listen, read about the song's history and learn the lyrics in both Spanish in English.
Latcho Drom
Tony Gatlif's classic film Latcho Drom was a tremendous inspiration. I will forever be inspired by the absolute liveliness of this great film.
My character Elvira Vega stopped counting birthdays after her 100th year, but dances still with duende! With great spirit, she seems to have leaped out of the film Latcho Drom and made herself at home in The Gypsy Chronicles. She dances in the last half of the video with another character Senor Perez, her handsome broad shouldered suitor in red pants! .. | |