 |
LA GRANJA **
This country house, just south of Banyalbufar, is on a site known since Roman times for
its natural spring. When Jaume conquered Mallorca he divided the island into four feudal
estates, giving one to Count Nuno Sanc, who settled at La Granja. In 1239 the Count handed
the estate to Cistercian monks to found Mallorca's first monastery. Since 1447 it has been
a private house owned by various noble families; most of what you see today dates from the
17th century.
Highlights of the tour include an aristocratic drawingroom with its own theatre, the
family Chapel and a dungeon with a torture chamber - but the real reason for visiting La
Granja is to learn about rural Mallorcan traditions. Workshops, cellars and kitchens
contain displays of everyday objects. And on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, women in
traditional costume give demonstrations of lacemaking, embroidery and spinning, donkeys
turn threshing wheels and there are tastings of cheese, wine, sausages, doughnuts and fig
cake. Look carefully and you just might see a tray of coca (Mallorcan pizza) being removed
from the restaurant oven and carried to the medieval kitchens to be served beside a log
fire. There are also displays of bagpipe music and folk dancing, which are entertaining if
not terribly authentic.
Escape from the tour groups by walking in the grounds, which contain botanical gardens,
waterfalls and a thousand-year-old yew - there is a 1,200m signed walk. And look out for
the exhibit listed in the guide as 'dog' - it is just that, a ca de bestair, or
black-coated Mallorcan guard dog on a chain.
If you have not gorged yourself on free samples, the restaurant serves good Mallorcan
staples like pa amb oli and sopes mallorquines.
INCA *
Mallorca's third-largest town styles itself 'city of leather', and if you come on an
organised tour you will undoubtedly be taken to a leather factory. Shop around; the
bargains these days are few and far between. Better to come on Thursdays, when the streets
around Placa d Espanya are taken over by Mallorca's largest weekly market, Plenty of
leather here, of varying quality, plus jewellery, carved olive wood, lace and fresh
produce from across the island. Placa d Espanya itself becomes an open-air flower show.
Near here are a smart coffee-house, Cafe Mercantil, with upholstered leather chairs, and
Ca'n Delante (Carrer Major 27), one of Mallorca's top pastry shops. Inca is also known for
its sellers, old wine-cellars turned into restaurants featuring traditional dishes at
reasonable prices.
JARDINS DE ALFABIA **
These classical gardens by the entrance to the Soller tunnel are a legacy of the Arab
talent for landscaping and irrigation. Their name derives from al fabi, 'jar of olives' in
Arabic. They were probably designed by Benihabet, the Muslim governor of Inca who
converted to Christianity following the Spanish invasion.
A flight of steps lined with tall palms leads to a covered walkway - from here you can
strike off to see lily ponds, bamboo groves or citrus trees growing in the shadow of the
mountains. If you have just driven over the Coll de Soller and are in need of a rest, this
would make a lovely spot for a siesta. Take a book or some postcards, find a seat in the
shade, then drift off to sleep to the sound of gently flowing water.
LLUC (SEE, TOP TEN}
LLUC-ALCARI *
You could easily miss Mallorca's smallest village, which consists of little more than a
bend in the Deia - Soller road. With just a handful of houses and a hotel, it would make
an ideal base for a walking holiday in the nearby mountains. The views are postcard
perfect in fact you are far more likely to see it on a postcard than you are to actually
go there. Picasso once lived in the village during a short stay on Mallorca.
LLUCMAJOR *
This ordinary country town, the largest in southern Mallorca, has a place in history - it
was the site of the battle in 1349 where Pedro IV of Aragon killed his relative Jaume III
to end Mallorca's brief spell as an independent kingdom. Jaume's death is commemorated by
a statue at the end of Passeig Jaume III. Near by, on Carrer Obispo Taxaquet, is another
statue in honour of Llucmajor's cobblers. Shoe making is still a significant industry
here, Almonds and apricots grow around the town and make good buys at the market, held
twice a week in Plaza d'Espanya.
 MAGALLUF *
More than anywhere else in Mallorca, Magalluf has been blighted by the curse of mass
tourism. During the 1980s it became a byword for all that was wrong with Mallorca: foreign
TV crews would flock here to film drinking Competitions, wet T-shirt contests and
teenagers throwing up on the beach. In the 1990s Magaluf has tried hard to change its
image. High-rise hotels have been destroyed, a new seafront promenade has been built, and
the council has introduced activities from guided walks to tai chi on the beach, But still
the lager louts come... and if you want cheap sun, sea, sand and sangria, there's no
better place.
MANACOR *
Mallorca's second city is the nearest thing the island has to an industrial town. Despite
the lack of obvious sights, the narrow streets behind the church make a pleasant place to
stroll and soak up the atmosphere of everyday Mallorca. The church, Esglesia dels Delors
de Nostra Senyora, was built on the site of a mosque and its minaret-style tower can be
seen for miles. Look inside to see the figure of Christ with scrawny hair and a skirt -
pilgrims queue up to kiss his bloodstained feet.
Almost every visitor to Manacor ends up at a pear factory. Perlas Majorica is the
best-known Mallorca's artificial pearl industry produces 50 million pears a year, using
the scales of a million fish, so do not imagine they are a safe alternative for your
vegetarian friends. They are said to be indistinguishable from the real thing, and almost
as expensive.
MONTUIRI *
High on a ridge surrounded by old stone windmills, the village of Montuiri is probably the
most impressive sight along the Palma-Manacor road. The eight mill-towers of the Molinar
district, redundant since the 1920s, are the symbol of the village; the best views are
from the Ermita de Sant Miquel, a 19th century hermitage on top of a small hill 2km to the
east. Montuiri is the setting for one of Mallorca's most spectacular festivals: each
August Cossiers, accompanied by dancers with bagpipes, flutes and drums, dress up as women
and devils and perform a dance, the origins of which stretch back at least 400 years,
where evil is overcome by good. |
