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Colonia St. Pere
La Colònia de Sant Pere (Colony of Sant Pere), within the municipality
of Artà, is located on an extensive tract of coastal land at the foot of
the range of the Serra de Llevant, at the eastern end of the Bay of
Alcúdia. The coast in this area doesn´t have too many cliffs, which
facilitates access to the sea, where visitors can enjoy rocky coves or
unspoilt beaches. There are four developed areas here - la Colònia de
Sant Pere itself, Betlem, Montferrutx and S´Estanyol - which basically
consist of low-rise family homes, many of which are used as second homes
by people from other parts of Mallorca and Europe.
The colony dates back to 1880, when it was founded as an agricultural
colony producing vines and almonds; however, there are numerous
prehistoric remains here, such as the burial cave on Carrer de Sant
Mateu, which record the presence of man in the distant past. The urban
growth of the 1960s, when Mallorca´s economy began to revolve around
tourism, was moderate here. There is a marina, which is where the Club
Nàutic de la Colònia de Sant Pere is located, and there is a sufficient
range of restaurants and cafés, though the same can´t be said about
shopping facilities.
Artá
The municipality of Artà, which is situated in the north east of
Mallorca, occupies most of the island´s eastern tip, covering an area of
140 km2 and running along 25 km of coast. The area is mountainous, with
the highest peak rising to 562m, and it forms part of the Llevant
Natural Park.
Artà is one of the few areas of Mallorca which has long sandy beaches
which are not built up; this is due to the residents´ awareness of the
importance of protecting the region. It goes without saying that these
natural areas, where the sea always plays an important role, are the
great attraction of both Artà and the island of Mallorca as a whole.
At the upper part of the old-town of Artà are vast ancestral homes;
these either belonged to local landowning gentry or were built by
returning emigrants who had made their fortune in South America. There
are also more basic houses, which were built in accordance with the
traditional architectural style of the island and which give the streets
in the town an air of times gone by. Many visitors come here, and there
are some small hotels and a good range of cafés and restaurants, mainly
located in the pedestrian zone as you approach the town from Palma de
Mallorca, along the streets of Carrer Ciutat and Carrer Antoni Blanes;
also in this zone is Na Batlessa - an old ancestral home which has been
turned into a cultural centre, with a stock of pieces documenting the
work of the painter Miquel Barceló. On the same property stands the
modern building of the municipal theatre.
Sant Salvador
is a walled area with a sanctuary within it; it was known in times of
Moorish rule on Mallorca, and thus predates the Catalan conquest of the
island. It is located at the top of a hill and is Artà´s most emblematic
building. The wall, which encloses an area of 4,000m2, is one metre
thick and has two towers. The sanctuary dates back to the 13th century
and contains a sculpture of the Mother of God sat with the baby Jesus;
the sculpture is Romanesque - probably from the 12th century - and was
brought from Catalonia. The current sanctuary building was constructed
in the 19th century, as the previous building was demolished after being
used as a hospital during the plague which hit the county in the summer
of 1820. It takes the form of a Latin cross and falls within the
neoclassical style, with the pictures on the dome being of particular
note.
The
parish church
jumps into view as you reach Artà; it is below the hill of Sant Salvador
and there is a 180-step stairway which leads up to the walled sanctuary
from here. Work was started on the church in 1573 on top of the site of
an older church and the building was finally completed in 1818. It has a
rectangular form and a single nave, with chapels between the buttresses
and the cross-vaulted roof. Its architectural style has many Gothic
elements, despite being from the Baroque period, which is the style that
has dictated the interior altarpieces.
On the street of Carrer de la Creu we find the
Franciscan convent of Sant Antoni de Pàdua,
which was built in the 17th century in the Baroque style. The church has
a single nave and a barrel-vaulted ceiling, with 5 chapels along each
side. Next to the church there is a cloister formed by galleries of
semi-circular arches.
The Talayotic settlement of Ses Païsses,
which is located just under a kilometre from Artà in a holm-oak wood on
a small hill and which is thought to have been home to around 324
people, represents one of the most important remains of pre-historic
life on Mallorca. It has been estimated that the settlement´s wall was
built between 1000 and 800 BC. It is well signposted and can be accessed
from a street running off the street which leads to capdepera.
Beaches in Artá
Cala Torta,
which is one of the best unspoilt beaches on Mallorca (Majorca), is
located in a remote mountainous area and is completely natural. It is
150m long and 200m wide, with abundant fine white sand. This spot has
suffered from forest fires, which have only left a small area of the
pine forest which once covered the entire area. To get here you have to
take the Carretera d´Artà towards Capdepera,
then turn left after the petrol station, and after passing the fire
station you´ll come to the football ground of Ses Pesqueres. Turn right
at the football ground and follow the road which leads up to the
mountains and then drops down to the sea, providing an exceptional
panorama of the coast with the island of Menorca on the horizon. 9 Km
after leaving Artà, you´ll come to a fork - take the road on the right
and continue for 1.3 km until you reach the beach. It is also possible
to reach Cala Torta on foot from Cala Mitjana by following the track on
the right; this takes about 15 minutes.
Services: an open-air bar which serves meals.
Cala Mitjana
is an unspoilt beach near Cala Torta, from where, following the track on
the left, it is possible to walk to Cala Mitjana in 15 minutes. The
beach is 120m long and 100m wide and has fine white sand. It is also
possible to reach the beach by car: follow the directions for Cala
Torta, and 9 km after leaving Artà you´ll reach a fork, where you have
to take the road on the left and continue for 1.5 km, turning right at
the second junction to reach the beach.
Services: a small open-air bar.
Cala Estreta
is a small rocky cove located at the point at which a torrent flows out
to the sea. It is 10m long and is the perfect spot for taking in all the
sea has to offer. This cove can be reached from Cala Mitjana by taking
the coast road and then taking the first turn-off; if you continue along
up the road from Cala Estreta, the first turn-off you come to will take
you down to Cala Torta.
Cala Matzoc
is an unspoilt beach of fine white sand within the Llevant Natural Park;
it is 70m long and 55m wide. The fact that it is inaccessible by car
makes it difficult to reach, but this means that the beach is not busy
and it´s not unusual to have the entire beach to yourself, especially
during the week. To get here you have to follow the track which goes off
from the left of Cala Estreta along the coast. It takes about 30 minutes
to walk the 2.5 km between the two coves.
Sa Font Celada
is a beautiful beach of fine white sand located within the Llevant
Natural Park; it is 100m long and 150m wide. This quiet spot allows the
few visitors who come here to enjoy the sea and take in a dry landscape
which has been conserved in its natural state. To get here you have to
start out from Cala Estreta and follow the same path as that which goes
to Cala Matzoc; from Cala Matzoc you have to take the path at the left
of the cove which runs along the coast. The entire walk, which affords
magnificent views, takes around 1 hour and 50 minutes; shortly after
Cala Matzoc you will come to la Torre d´Aubarca - a watchtower from the
16th century which still has an old cannon in its upper section. It is
also possible to reach the beach from S´Arenalet des Verger by following
the coast for 500m to the right.
S´Arenalet des Verger,
also known as S´Arenalet d´Aubarca, is the most extensive of the
unspoilt beaches within the Llevant Natural Park. It is 200m long and
150m wide, with fine white sand and some rocks that run from the beach
into the sea. At the rear of the beach, where the sand ends, there is a
small house without electricity that is used as a refuge for those
wishing to spend the night at the beach. Reservations can be made via
the Ajuntament d´Artà (Artà District Council). The beach can be reached
from Cala Estreta, following the path that passes through Cala Matzoc
and Sa Font Celada, from where you have to follow the coast to the left
for about 10 minutes. The walk along the coast to reach the beach takes
about 2 hours without breaks.
You can also reach this beach by walking down from Puig de la Tudossa,
which reduces the walking time to 1 hour and 30 minutes, though you have
to bear in mind that the return trip is uphill. In order to take this
route, from Artà you have to take the road which leads to the Hermitage
of Betlem . After following this road for about 5 km, just before the
road starts to climb steeply, you have to take a turning on the right
which is signposted with the name S´Alqueria Vella i Es Verger; you will
shortly reach S´Alqueria Vella, where there is a map showing different
routes around the Llevant Natural Park. You have to continue straight on
for about 4 km on the tarmacked track, passing the house on the right,
until you reach the peak of Puig de la Tudossa, which is unmistakeable
due to its antennas. This is the starting point for the track which will
take you down to the sea.
Es Caló
is not a beach as such but a rocky inlet which is about 20m long. It is
protected by an artificial breakwater, which facilitates sea access to
this colourful spot at the foot of the range of Serra de Llevant. It is
located at one end of the Bay of Alcudia, next to Coloni de Sant Pere.
To get here you have to take the road to La Colònia de Sant Pere and
continue as far as the residential zone of Betlem; as you come out of
Betlem on the other side, you will see an untarmacked track, and this
runs along the coast to Es Caló, which is 3km away. You can drive all
the way to the beach, though the track makes for difficult driving.
Na Clara
is an unspoilt sandy beach with some rocks, especially at the shore. It
is 100m long and very narrow. It is located at 200m from the untarmacked
track described in the route for Es Caló, below some cliffs.
Ca los Camps
is a peaceful cove which is 115m long; it is protected from bad weather
and has a pebble beach. There is plenty of seaweed at the shoreline, and
this forms a comfortable layer of vegetation on which to lay your towel.
There are numerous fishing huts where fishermen used to keep their boats
and fishing tackle.
The cove is located at the end of a small road which leaves from Colònia
de Sant Pere and follows the coastline north.
Sa Canova
is an unspoilt beach which is almost 2,000m long and 100m wide, with a
unique range of dunes behind, of which a large part is covered by a pine
wood. Generally speaking, on the Mediterranean dunes are found parallel
to the beach, but at Sa Canova the dunes are arranged at an oblique
angle to the coast and spread inland, running as far as 2km from the
coast. This is due to the intensity and constant nature of the
Tramuntana wind, which blows from north to south - the same direction as
the dunes. For this reason, this beach is popular with windsurfers. The
beach can be reached from the residential zone of S´Estanyol in Colònia
de Sant Pere, walking along the coast to the left as you look out to
sea. You can also get here from the end of Son Serra de Marina, this
time walking towards the right. This protected natural area is located
between the two residential zones of S´Estanyol and Son Serra de Marina.
Between the pine trees and the dunes there are some roads and houses,
which are a result of a residential development which was started at the
end of the 1980´s but which was abandoned due to pressure from public
demonstrations led by GOB - the main environmental organisation on
Mallorca.
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