IbizaAN INVITATION

Ibiza, all islands in one

AN INVITATION

3

IBIZA

2

A trip to the mythical region

of the Balearic Islands

Ibiza’s white magic 4

CITY OF EIVISSA – “LA VILA”A fortress that longs tobe conquered 8

BEACHES AND SEAFifty settingsfor happiness 12

RURAL CHARMSMan and the landscape:a song for two voices 16

LIFESTYLESLand of traditions,land of contrasts 18

HISTORYIbiza’s forefatherscame from the Orient 20

PLEASURES AND PRODUCTSA sea of flavours 22

CULTUREA cosmopolitan vanguardwith Mediterranean airs 24

GEOGRAPHICAL MAPIbiza 26

Ses Salines

Platges de Comte

Portinatx

Santa Eulària des Riu

Ibiza ceramics

AN INVITATION

5

IBIZA

4

Ibiza’s white magic

The vast majority of those who know Ibiza (Eivissa in thelocal language), or have read about or heard of theisland, the third in size of the Balearic archipelago,associate a series of precise ideas to the destination –ideas that only reflect a small part of its reality. Yes, Ibizawas the island of the hippies in the ‘sixties. Yes, Ibiza stillis the island of the jet-set, of mega-discotheques, ofactivity which reflects freedom, a meeting place forcultures and night magic; and it is also true that it is stilla favourite refuge for creative people, and those whoseek a utopia.Nevertheless, reality is more complex, although no lessfascinating, or less magical. Ibiza, a name that still hidesthe Phoenician god Bes, was the first island of thearchipelago to have an important town. It was one ofthe few places where the Punic and Roman cultureslived pacifically side by side, giving rise to archaeological

treasures that areunique in theMediterranean. It wasan Arab-Muslimpossession, and haslived through eras ofabsolute darkness. Itwas a poor island,where the most egalitarian society of the BalearicIslands developed, something which is reflected in thescarcity of stately homes and large rural estates.Ibiza is an island full of mysteries, full of magic. Itsdifficult past, marked by poverty, invasions, exposure tosurroundings steeped in dangers, has given rise to a type of architecture we can only call aesthetic now, intimes of peace and of an economy reinforced bytourism.

Ibiza, and its smaller neighbour, Formentera, are alsoknown as “the islands of the pine trees”. In spite ofconditions which made life difficult of old, the island isrich in many senses. The ideal conditions for extractingsalt from the sea made Ibiza a coveted prize for the

Mediterranean empires from very early on.Special in itself, the island attracts special people. Ibizahas its own distinct character and generates strongemotions in those who visit it. It is a land of obviousattractions and hidden beauties. It beckons to the

Church of “Sant Jordi de Ses Salines”

Cala Saladeta

Typical vessels, “Llauts”

Puig de Missa,Sta. Eulària des Riu

Architectural detailSant Josep de sa Talaia

Couple wearing typical costumes

Ses Salines

IBIZA

6

AN INVITATION

7

curious, inviting one to explore and discover. Often, themost important discovery is made in the mind of thevisitor. Indeed, the term tourist could be redefined inIbiza, adding to it the attributes of the interior traveller.Because it is an island that opens the mind. In thesorcerer’s dictionary this is called white magic. Perhapsthis is Ibiza’s most important “product”, quite apart fromthe statistics on the influx of tourists.

World Heritage

In 1999 UNESCO declared Ibiza a World Heritage Site, adecision justified by the island’s biological diversity andhistorical monuments. The international organisationmade specific reference to the Neptune Grass plains andthe vestiges of ancient civilisations: the archaeologicalfinds of La Caleta, the Punic necropolis of Puig desMolins and the ancient fortified town (Dalt Vila).

Torre des Savinar

Sunset in “Ses Salines”

Plains of Neptune Grass

Agricultural worker from Ibiza

Indigenous flowers

“Sa Caleta” archaeological site

Agriculture, citrus fruit growing

Walls of “Dalt Vila”

Dalt Vila

Ibiza’s white magic

AN INVITATION

9

IBIZA

8

A stroll through history:A spectacle in stone

The first moderately precise plan of thisfortress-town dates back to the year 1554 andwas the work of an Italian engineer who waspreparing the plans for the Renaissance walls.This plan, now almost half a millennium old,shows the medieval enclosure. Historiansbelieve that it also reflects the former Arabfortress conquered by the Christians in 1235.The structure of “Madina Yabisah”, as theMuslims called it, was based on three walledenclosures: the “vila superior” or upper town,with the mosque, the ‘alcazaba’ (fortress-residence) and the residences of the interiorcircle; the “vila mediana” or intermediatetown; and the “vila inferior” (or “arrabal” –the lower town). During the three centuriesof Arab rule the labyrinth of streets andalleyways so typical of old Arab towns haddeveloped, and still mark the atmosphere of“Dalt Vila” in our times.

Evidently previous walls existed, the work ofthe Carthaginians and the Romans. But theturbulence of the end of the Roman Empire,incursions by the Vandals and Visigoths andthe work of the Arab architects left fewremains.

The Renaissance fortification project cameinto being after the dramatic events of the16th century: the island and its capital wereattacked in 1522 by Majorcan rebels in 1522, byTurks and the French in 1536, and by Algerianpirates in 1543. In a few decades a fortifiedcomplex grew up that impressed the enemiesof old and still impresses the visitors of thepresent: the Italian engineers GiovanniBattista Calvi and Jacobo Paleazzo Fratínadded a whole area to the enclosure andincluded seven strongholds, applying themost advanced military technology andmethods of the times and turning the townof Ibiza into one of the best-protected one ofthe best-protected0 in the Mediterranean.

Its conservation is the result of hardship: atthe beginning of the 20th century, when thelast walled enclosures were being demolishedall over Europe, the town had barely 6,000inhabitants and was simply too poor to takeon a town planning project of thismagnitude. In modern times this symbol ofpoverty has become a standard of culture anda key reason why UNESCO declared Ibiza aWorld Heritage site.

To go up to “Dalt Vila” (the high town) is to go backinto the past. With one significant difference: todaythe fortifications are destined to be conquered dayafter day, enabling one to appreciate their beauty andenjoy the beautiful views of the port and the areasurrounding the town.As we reach the highest point of the town we findthe place where the Carthaginians decided to found asettlement 2,700 years ago. The reasons are patentlyobvious: the huge salt marshes, a source of wealthand a treasure to be protected, stretch out to thesouth-west. On the other side is the bay, a naturalport around which the town was to grow. And closeat hand are fertile lands and freshwater springs. Allthe strategists of later centuries and millenniumsconfirmed the choice of the founders, by modifying,strengthening and enlarging the fortifications. Theyare the last monumental walls of the Balearic Islandsto be left intact. Behind it a town full of architecturaljewels and charming nooks and crannies is hidden,the scene of spectacular celebrations and artisticexpression.At the foot of this hill that is so steeped in history anarea steeped in stories spreads out: the formerfishermen’s quarter, which has become the home ofshops and bars, the favourite meeting place for manypeople who have one thing in common: they aredifferent.

A fortress that longs to be conqueredCITY OF EIVISSA – “VILA”

Inside “Ses Taules” gateway

The town’s port, Eivissa

Arms patioCraft shops in “Vila”

The goddess Tanith

Vara del Rey

AN INVITATIONIBIZA

10

Also at the foot of this fortified hill, and likewise full ofhistorical and enchanting corners, but situated furtherto the west, is “Passeig de Vara de Rey”, an elegant,stylish avenue, the transition between the old Ibiza andthe new town.You begin to feel the magic of Ibiza here, in the town,where uniform modernity has not displaced the vestigesof a dramatic past, and where the charm of plurality,originality and the art of living defends it fortress offreedom with a smile. The island’s capital is a good placeto start to understand the special nature of this land.

Treading on history:A walk through Dalt Vila

There can be few entrances as impressiveas the “Portal de ses Taules” with its rampconnecting the old fishermen’s quarterto the fortified enclosure. Passing underan enormous coat of arms carved in thestone, the signature of Philip II as thedeveloper of the Renaissance walls, thevisitor enters a world apart.Labyrinthine streets and grandiosebuildings, everyday life and symbols ofhistory. In the place where of old theisland’s government met – the“Universitat” – there is now anarchaeological museum, and in theformer arms and gunpowder store – theBaluarte de Sant Joan – we can nowadmire modern art works. The highestpoint is reserved for a Gothic cathedral.But the stars of the walk are the wallsand the splendid views.

Puig des Molins:A historical gem

Next to the hill covered with thebuildings of Dalt Vila is anotherpromontory: Puig des Molins. On itsNorthern slope is one of the mostimportant archaeological sites of theMediterranean: the Punic necropolis.This hill is literally perforated byapproximately 3,000 subterranean tombs,some of which are of huge dimensions.

The first campaign of scientific testsbegan in 1946 when a mule fell into anenormous, hitherto unknown, tomb.Since then the necropolis has offered uptreasures of incalculable value tohistorians. Whilst in some places themeeting of the Roman and Carthaginiancultures made for a devastating conflict,resulting in the destruction of a wholecivilisation by imperial Rome, in Ibiza itseems it was more of a pacific transition.In no other area of the Mediterraneanare there so many remains of the Punicculture as in Puig des Molins.

This impressive find was one of thereasons why UNESCO declared the islanda World Heritage site.

CITY OF EIVISSA – “VILA”

Typical details of “Dalt Vila”

“Ses Taules” gateway

Dalt Vila

Rock-cut tombs of “Puig de’s Molins”

“Dalt Vila” as seen from the sea

AN INVITATION

13

IBIZA

12

The Salt Marshes:Ibiza’s white gold

As a result of a whim of nature, sometracts of land in the south of the islandare ideal for extracting salt from thesea. This was one of the reasons why theCarthaginians decided to found acolony here. The salt marshes havemarked the island’s life and economyfor many centuries, and during theprocess an enormous wetland has beencreated – so large, in fact, that itsextension can only be appreciated froma plane: 550 hectares, 400 of which arestill used to produce up to 100,000tonnes of salt a year. The bestMediterranean salt.

Since the industry’s beginnings, around600 years before Christ, until our times,salt has been the centre of historic andtragic events. For the peasant farmers itsignified an opportunity to find work inthe summer months. But there was a riskinherent in venturing to stray from theprotected areas, as pirates habituallykidnapped the workers to sell them asslaves on the markets of North Africa.

Nowadays the salt marshes are nolonger a place of danger, but one ofprotection: a total of 200 species ofbirds take refuge in what is now aunique ecosystem that has been turnedinto a Nature Reserve. The use oftraditional techniques to exploit thesalt guarantees the preservation of ascenic jewel which contributes to thebiodiversity of the area, one of thereasons why Ibiza has been declared aWorld Heritage site.

A total of 18 kilometres of happiness await the visitor.They come with a pleasant diversity, from familybeaches to sporty beaches, from solitary beaches tolively beaches. Someone has taken the trouble to countthem – the result being the figure of fifty. This meansyou could go to a different beach every week of theyear, and take two weeks’ holiday somewhere likeAlaska or Greenland to recover from the hot climate ofIbiza, with its sun that really does seem to smile downon one.

Fifty settings for happinessBEACHES AND SEA Cala Xarraca

Punta Xarraca, north coast

Cala Nova

“Ses Salines” salt marshes

Near Cala Vedella

Platges de Comte

Guitars, moon, freedom:The mythical beaches

When the fugitives from modernitydiscovered Ibiza, some of its beachesbecame the setting for joyous meetingsand strange rituals. The full moonnights lit up the imagination of anaudience predisposed to pagan worshipand oriental philosophies, as many ofthose travellers had been to India andsaw Ibiza as another place of pilgrimage.

In those days the beaches of Benirrás,Cala d’Hort and Aguas Blancas, amongstothers, held privileged positions in thegeography of the world movement ofthe ‘sixties. From these beaches, a wholenew way of thinking and looking at lifespread out, giving rise to the utopiaslived out in Ibiza: freedom, the simplelife, love, peace, limitless creativity. Andthe beach barbecues, of course.

As timeless as the island itself:Adlib fashion

Nothing changes as much as fashion,but few dress styles have shown thecontinuity of Adlib. But this is logical,on the other hand, because it is morethan just a fashion. It is a product ofthose crazy years when hippies invadedIbiza and introduced new ideas,resulting in an explosion of creativitywith all the ingredients at hand. Adlibfashion brings together aspects of thetraditional clothes of the islandersand contemporary design, as well aspropagating the values of the ‘sixties:freedom, a carefree existence, andmixing without prejudices. Thefundamental principle of this fashion,the name of which comes from theLatin “ad libitum”, (at discretion), is thatof dressing as one likes, as long as it iswith good taste. Although as far ascolours are concerned, having beencreated on the island of white magic, itis clear that white is predominant.

AN INVITATIONIBIZA

14

The size of Ibiza – approximately 572 square kilometres –means it does not matter where one is, because none ofthese settings for happiness is ever far away.Being a magical island, it is quite likely that the beachchosen by the visitor is close to some particularlymagical place. It may be as obvious as in Cala d’Hort,from where one can see and admire this impressive rockrising out of the sea like a giant: the islet of Es Vedrà.According to legend a Carmelite monk converted here,and the musician Mike Oldfield used the impressivescenery to illustrate the cover of one of his records. Thereare those who warn of paranormal activity, but even

though no aliens have used Es Vedrà as a landmark, youonly have to imagine the tectonic force that separatedthis 400-metre-high piece of rock from the island to bestunned into a trance.Other magical places are invisible for most bathers, likethe Punic sanctuary “Cova de Cuieram”, a cave hiddenamongst the pine groves of the cove called Sant Vicent.This cave was used in ancient times for worshipping thePhoenician goddess Tanith, and contains a small temple,and some even say that the worship takes place in ourtimes.Even your mind floats on the beaches of Ibiza.

BEACHES AND SEA

Portinatx beach

Cala Gracioneta

Marine fauna ,“Vaca”.

Port de Sant Miquel

The Ad-lib fashion island

Near Platges de Comte

The south-west coast

AN INVITATION

17

IBIZA

16

Although it is true that the island has no large elevations(the highest spot, Sa Talaya de Sant Josep, is at analtitude of 475 metres), Ibiza has a varied landscape andoutside the summer months, its greenery surprises thevisitor. Thanks to the protection measures, it still lives upto its nickname of “island of the pine trees”.In spite of covering a small area and of its shortdistances, there are valleys and areas which seem to bethousands of miles away from the Ibiza shown in thereal-life magazines. The truth is that, away from thediscotheques and the resorts like Sant Antoni dePortmany, Talamanca or the town of Ibiza itself, it is apeaceful island.In spite of its many singular attractions, whatdistinguishes Ibiza most is its character and beauty as a

whole. Human activity has added charms to it,something which is patently obvious in the wonderfullandscape of the salt marshes and the old rural housesthat blend into the countryside without hiding away.The villages are made beautiful by the lovely churches,which are located preferably in high places due to theirdefensive nature.The coast offers innumerable havens of solitude andtranquillity, of undisturbed nature and invitations toforget your diary, the date and the time of day torecharge your batteries and listen, with a backup ofwaves and seagulls, to those songs which seem tosurvive like echoes of an era that promised to be thestart of something big.

The Ibiza house: Airs of Africa

What is it about the houses in Ibiza thatmoves the giants of contemporaryarchitecture like Le Corbusier and theavant-gardists of Bauhaus? We havenoted down a few suspicions. To startwith, this kind of house that created astyle which became extremely popularthroughout the Mediterranean wasoriginally a living project that grewwith the family living in it. Spaces wereadded around the Porxo or porch,which was a covered space used forfamily life, according to the owners’possibilities and requirements.

Perhaps the combination ofMediterranean sun and the perfectwhiteness of the walls has contributedto the legend. Houses in Ibiza follow anindividualist, archaic pattern, whichreminds one of the constructions insome parts of Africa: cubism withoutright angles and perfectly straightlines. The French architect Le Corbusierturned this idea of rural habitat into aconcept for large cities.

Another star element, which nowadaysenthuses a public bored with thesquareness of civilisation, is the woodused. In the “island of pine trees”pinewood worked in the crudestpossible fashion was used, leaving thenatural shapes and irregularities. Andit is an ecological house, the walls ofwhich are eighty centimetres thick,keeping in heat and cold with equalefficiency, whilst the flat roofs,formerly conceived to capturerainwater, are particularly suitable forinstalling solar panels now. A tripthrough the rural Ibiza shows thevisitor this surprising, originalmarriage of old forms and newecological technology.

An extraordinary example of theclassic Ibiza house is the EthnographicMuseum in Santa Eulària des Riu.

Churches:White fortresses of the Faith

No other element of the island, apartfrom the majestic walls of Ibiza town,tells us more about the transformationof fear into beauty than the villagechurches. The prototype for these whitefortresses of the Faith is found inSanta Eulària des Riu. After the totaldestruction of this village by pirates inthe year 1555, Philip II sent GiovanniBattista Calvi in person, one of thearchitects of the Royal Forces of Ibizatown, to erect a church equipped withits own defences on a small hill thatdominates that area of the coast.

Fortress-churches exist in many partsof the world, but in Ibiza they havetaken on a special character. They aresimultaneously centres of spiritualityboth living and lived, and marvellousexamples of the beauty of simplicity.They are the jewels of the rural worldof Ibiza and an invitation to stop andenjoy peace, something which wasoften a futile wish in the times of thecreation of these temples.

Man and the landscape: a song for two voicesRURAL CHARMS

Typical gateSes Feixes

Typical Ibiza house

Rural area of Sant Mateu d’Aubarca

Indigenous pedigree “Podenco” dog

Working in the fields

Working in the fields

Church of Sant Llorenç de Balàfia

AN INVITATION

19

IBIZA

18

Partytime: The longest nights inthe Mediterranean

The figures of the night: around 8,000parties organised every summer, thelargest discotheque in the world withcapacity for 12,000 people, the longestnights in the Mediterranean andEurope’s best DJs coming and going. Thisis the most famous facet of Ibiza, thequeen of the night and empress of theyellow press. The phenomenon hasproduced its own styles of music andturned this remote corner, forgottenuntil a few decades ago, into a must forfast livers.

It is without a doubt the climate oftolerance so characteristic of theisland that has made this giganticamusement park for adults grow uphere. During the summer nights Ibizabecomes a party: the shops open untilthe customers stop coming andcountless bars and clubs offer mealsand shows at impossible hours of thenight.

What showed up as poverty in statistical data andnumerous aspects of reality held another interpretationfor many of the children of the rebellion of the ‘sixtiesand the hippy movement of the ‘seventies: that of apurer, simpler life, one more harmonious with nature.The alternative life movement underwent its own

transformations. Whilst the advanceparty was made up of hippies, theirconcept of absolute freedom did not fit inwith a simple life in the country.It was a book published in France in 1973which triggered the arrival of the secondwave of explorers of earthly paradises.“Savoir revivre” (living again), by JacquesMassacrier, describes the experiences ofthe author and his family on a rural

estate in Ibiza. The story encouraged many Europeans,tired of consumerism and urban stress, to disembark onthis island of utopian experiments to embark on analternative, rural and natural life.These processes had a deep impact on the society ofIbiza. The foreigners founded their own schools, whichfunctioned according to their principles. It was anotherstep in the construction of a society, which pacificallymixed traditional values with entirely unorthodoxconcepts.Some of these utopias live on and do not merely coexiston an island which is now “modern”, but do what theycan to preserve that promise of paradise which broughtso many people with ideals.

A land of traditions, a land of contrastsLIFESTYLES

Santa Agnès de Corona

Bar in Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera

Procession of the Virgen del Carmen, (16th July)

Son Rafel de Forca Hippodrome

Eivissa town fiestas

Interior patio

AN INVITATION

21

IBIZA

20

Curious historical data

A fundamental feature of the history ofIbiza is the constant confrontationbetween town and country. In the 17th,18th and 19th centuries there were sixpeasants’ revolts. Each time thepeasants tried to enter the town,because of their desperation resultingfrom the deepest poverty.

Added to this were the dangers fromthe outside. They were such that in 1538the island of Formentera wasevacuated because life in the island’s 83 square kilometres had becomeimpossible due to the lack of protectionagainst piracy. It was not until 1697that the situation improved enough topermit repopulation to take place.

In 1821 Ibiza became a topic ofconversation thanks to María Flores,the last Spanish slave, whose casecaused a huge commotion. She askedfor her freedom and that of herdaughter, as well as the salariesaccumulated from 35 years of unpaidwork.

And when the first telephone line wasinstalled on the island in 1888, thishistoric event did not occur in thetown, but in the salt marshes, thusproving the tremendous importance ofthese emblematic installations.

In the history of Ibiza there is a gap lastingtwo centuries. We know nothing of theinhabitants of the island before the arrival ofthe Arabs in 903 – we do not know whatlanguage they spoke, or what gods theyworshipped. As yet no remains have beenfound of the society which was forced to giveway to the great Muslim civilisation that putIbiza back into the history books.But from just above the entrance to theArchaeological Museum of Eivissa in DaltVila, near the highest point of the fortifiedenclosure, an amusing character smiles downwho has survived through this historical pause, andmarked the culture of the island. His image has beenreproduced on coins and stones, and he even features inthe name of the island itself. He is Bes, a Phoenician god,and “la isla de Bes” or island of Bes is the ancient wordwhich is the origin of the name Ibiza.According to the finds of archaeologists – or rather,according to what they have not found – thePhoenicians who recognised the promontory beside abay protected from the winds as an ideal site for a navaland commercial base, did not come across an importantcivilisation. Whilst the sister islands of Mallorca andMenorca had significant populations living in fortifiedvillages, the Talayotic civilisation, there are very fewsigns of human activity in Ibiza. The oldest of the‘Pitiuses’ (Ibiza and Formentera) are to be found on thesmall island of Formentera: a megalithic sepulchredating from 1600 BC.It seems incredible that so much beauty has passedunnoticed for so many millennia, particularly in a seathat saw the birth of mankind’s first great cultures. Afterits discovery by the Phoenicians and later by theCarthaginians, the island passed more or less peacefullyinto the hands of the Romans, and was called Ebusus.Dragged along by the decadence of the Roman empire,

it lived through some significant ups and downs untilbecoming part of the Byzantine empire. In 903 it wasgiven the name of Yebisah, and its god was known asAllah. It was an age of splendour and of great works.Traces of what was the Arab gardens near the town stillremain, and are today called “Ses Feixes”. In 1235, Yebisahwas conquered by the Catalan-Aragonese troops.Visitors to the historical centre of Ibiza take the sameroute used by the advance party of those troops whenthey penetrated the heart of the fortress on that historic8th August of 1235.The Mediterranean was still an area of conflict betweenWest and East, something which marked the destiny ofthe islands that were in the middle, like the Balearics.They were the target of terrible attacks, but in turnbecame bases for corsairs and slave markets.In the year 1715 King Philip V eliminated the island’sgovernment, “la Universitat”, the seat of which is nowthe Archaeological Museum. Ibiza’s culture and identitywas reasserted once again in 1978 when, with the newSpanish democratic constitution, the doors to theautonomous region of the Balearic Islands were openedalong with the creation of an Island Council which againtook up the role of the “Universitat” that haddisappeared almost three centuries before.

Ibiza’s forefathers came from the OrientHISTORY

“Ses Paisses de Cala D’Hort”Punic-Roman settlement

Archaeological remains,“Puig des Molins”

Former watchtower

Sunset in “Vila”

The goddess “Tanith”Archaeological Museum

Eivissa & Formentera Archaeological Museum

Sant Jordi de Ses Salines

AN INVITATION

23

IBIZA

22

Accommodation:A range with character

Ibiza and its little neighbour,Formentera, have a total ofapproximately 90,000 hotel vacancies,ten percent of which correspond tofour and five-star hotels. Many of theseestablishments reflect the magic of theisland to perfection and their famousguests are not satisfied with somethingordinary. Independently of thecategories there are hotels withcharacter, atmosphere and originalityin the capital Ibiza, both inside andoutside the historical hub of the town.

An interesting alternative is thetraditional houses in particularlypeaceful and beautiful locations. Veryfew in number, but no less attractive,are the agro-tourism establishments

that invite one to enjoy rural Ibiza andsome of which have specialised in anoffer centred on ecology and a healthylifestyle.

Traditions and hippies:The craft bazaar

When the hippy culture disembarked onit, the island was an extremely cheapplace to live in. Even so, those who didnot receive cheques from their parentshad to earn a living, and they wantedto do so without compromising theirlifestyle. So they found the idealactivity: manufacturing leatherarticles. They could work them and sellthem anywhere and anytime. A wholesector came into being, and to this dayit continues to function fully and

markets its products in the streets ofDalt Vila and in the hippy marketsorganised regularly in places like PuntaArabí and Sant Carles.

Traditional products worthmentioning include fashion articles,jewellery and ceramics. But not oneline of products has failed to beenriched by the extraordinarycreativity resulting from the encounterbetween Ibiza and its lovers fromforeign shores.

ActivitiesSSppoorrttssSailingDivingGolf course (Roca Llisa)CyclingRiding

EExxccuurrssiioonnss aanndd ttrriippssCan Marçà CavePuig de Missa, Santa Eulària (museum,church, architectural site)Balàfia towers, Sant LlorençLas SalinasSa Pedrera, Sant JosepMedieval market in Dalt Vila (every second weekend in May)Wine festival in Sant Mateu (December)Hippy market

The food of Ibiza is its history and geography. TheMediterranean trilogy – cereals, wine and olive oil –accompanies the view of the sea, the walls, and thelively street scenes. After a simple local dish weconnect with customs that arrived by boat fromdistant shores. The inhabitants of Ibiza learned to saltand dry fish from the Phoenicians. The Greeksprepared food using aromatic herbs, they fried fish andloved cold meats. The Arabs, master gardeners andingenious designers of orchards, contributed to thewealth of the cuisine here with vegetables and fruit.And finally, the Catalan invasion led to the appearanceof sofrit (a sauce made using onion, oil, tomato andgarlic).But history continues to be written. There are somethousand restaurants on the island, and many are areflection of the most recent influences. Beforeopening your mouth, you have to open your mind.Practically none of the important cuisines of the worldis excluded from the panorama on Ibiza. Even so weconfine ourselves to describing some of the main localspecialities, dishes that are related to the

surroundings, the climate, the way of life and of doing things.Pa torrat amb tomata – toast with tomato – has been the traditionalbreakfast par excellence for centuries. Borrida de rajada is a simpledish of potato and skate. Guisat de peix is the local variety of theMediterranean fish stew. And arròç de matances includes not only porkproducts, but also wild mushrooms, ideally local milk caps which aredifficult to find. The procession of savoury dishes ends with sofritpagès, a combination of meats, ‘sobrasada’, ‘butifarrón’ sausage andpotatoes, a festive dish which brings a glass of the local herb liqueurto mind.The Flaó, a curd cheesecake, was of old reserved for the Easter festival,a limitation which has been eliminated in modern times.

A sea of flavoursPLEASURES AND PRODUCTS Ceramic crafts

Hippy market

Wine cellars in Ibiza

Cave of “Can Marçà”

Room in a rural estate

Local sea produce

Rural landscape,carob trees

and olive trees

AN INVITATION

25

IBIZA

24

Places of culture

AArrttCan Ventosa Cultural SpaceSa Punta des Molí, Sant Antoni

GGaalllleerriieess aanndd eexxhhiibbiittiioonn rroooommssSa NostraVan der VoortMarta Torres

MMuusseeuummssMuseum of Contemporary Art (Dalt Vila)Archaeological Museum (Dalt Vila)Monographic Museum of Es Puig des MolinsEthnography Museum of Santa EulàriaBarrau Museum, Santa Eulària

Ibiza has always drawn attention to itself, whether dueto its strategic position in the Mediterranean, or to itsbeauty, or to a series of attractions difficult to definethat made it a meeting place for the intellectual elite.The famous ‘sixties were not the first cultural boom theisland experienced. In the ‘thirties people from all overEurope found in Ibiza a refuge that offered the peace ofan island anchored in the past. They were people withconnections to the avant-garde tendencies likesurrealism and Bauhaus. The list includes celebritiessuch as the philosopher Walter Benjamin, the novelistsBernhard Kellermann and Elliot Paul, the poet RafaelAlberti and the architects Erwin Broner, RaoulHaussmann, Germán Rodríguez Arias and Josep LluísSert. They were drawn by a tolerant island and theysowed the seeds of what was to be a cosmopolitansociety.The second wave of cultural enrichment began at theend of the ‘fifties with the presence of an infinity ofartists and intellectuals on an island which had hardlystarted to feel the changes tourism was to bring.Amongst them were painters like Hinterreiter(Switzerland), Bechtold (Germany), Dmitrienko(France),Walsh (England), Matsuda (Japan) and Gutiérrez(Colombia), as well as writers like Sheckley (UnitedStates) and Park (England). Because of their extremely

diverse origins thesepeople constituted amulticultural societywith an enormouscreative potential. A

potential which hasunfurled its force andinspiration up to ourtimes.The islanders did notremain apart from thisexplosion of creativity,strengthening at thesame time Ibiza’sidentity and language.One example is thewriter MariàVillangómez, a true pillarof the culture of Ibiza,who died in 2002. Hewrote numerous novels,poetry books and plays.

A cosmopolitan vanguard withMediterranean airsCULTURE

Local crafts

Windmill of Sant Antoni de Portmany

Santa Eulària des Riu

Portal Nou de Dalt Vila

Maritime view of the town

Rural folclore

EthnologicalMuseumof “Santa Eulària”

The town’s port

26 27

hospital

health centre

tourist information

airport

museum

archaeological site

cave

castle

chapel / shrine

golf course

area / park / nature reserve

world heritage

motorway / dual carriageway

main road

secondary road

railway

IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

Surface: 572.6 km2

Coast: 210.1 kmMaximum height: 474 m (Sa Talaiassa)Average annual temperature: 18.6ºCHours of sunshine, annual average: 2,883.1Number of inhabitants: 105,103

© Institut Balear del Turisme© Texts: Comunicación Creativa© Photos: Ibatur photographic archives, fomento de Ibiza photographic

archives, Pedro Coll, Manuela Muñoz, Fco. Llompart, W. Obiol, AntonioGarrido Salom & Comparini, Comunicación Creativa photographic archives Design: Comunicación CreativaPrinted by:D.L.: PM-1543-2006

The data in this brochure are valid at the time of publication,07-2006.Please inform us of possible modifications for the purpose of including them in future editions.

C/ Montenegro 5. 07012 Palma (Mallorca, Illes Balears)e-mail: general@ibatur.caib.es

AN INVITATIONIBIZA

IbizaGEOGRAPHICAL MAP

INFORMATION

www.cief.eswww.ibizahotelsguide.comwww.illesbalears.es

Oficina de Información Turística de Eivissa (Ibiza Tourist Information Office)Antoni Riquer, 2 · 07800 Ibiza · Tel. 971 301 900 · Fax. 971 301 562e-mail: oitport@clef.es

Fomento de Turismo de la isla de Ibiza (Ibiza Tourism Board)Historiador Josep Clapés, 4 · 07800 Ibiza · Tel. 971 302 490Fax. 971 302 262e-mail: fomentoibiza@teleline.es

www.illesbalears.es