Can Ras, Mallorca

Can Ras, Mallorca by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos. Made to disappear. This is how the concept for this house on the island of Mallorca is presented, a few meters from the shore of the Mediterranean sea. The house is made up of a set of pieces that move in one direction, offering exterior spaces as patios between the various volumes that contain the different interior uses. Thus, with this movement, a volume is fragmented into small parts, giving each of them a unique character and their own autonomy. The house is conceived with natural materials, but built with current technology, paying attention to economy, precision and continuity. The lay-out on the ground floor maximizes the relationship with the exterior and prioritizes the views of the sea through large openings protected from solar incidence by eaves that generate large exterior terraces.

Son Brull Mallorca

Located at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana, close to the town of Pollença, in the southernmost tip of Mallorca, Son Brull is a five-star hotel located in an old Jesuit monastery from the 18th century, and which was carefully restored in 2003 by its owners – a local family with a long experience in the hospitality business – to turn it into one of the most luxurious touristic complexes on the island, guaranteeing the preservation of the old building as part of the historic heritage. The brief called to extend and refurbish the complex. The owners of the property wanted to renovate and enlarge the spa of the main building, and to build four new villas on the land next to it. The project aims to be part of the territory, to be landscape. It doesn’t try to occupy the territory, but rather to build it, create a large garden, a landscape for walks.

Art in Mallorca

 

The gem of the Mediterranean sea, the largest of the Balearic Islands is best known for its sun, its nature, its beaches, its unspoilt coves and its small villages. Its cultural and architectural heritage, much more discreet, is nevertheless very rich. If the sea, the people, their dialects and customs, as well as gastronomy are part of the daily delights of Majorcan life, art, architecture and crafts also have an essential place. A real heaven for creators, the island has hosted "Art Night" in Palma since 1997. The event, particularly popular with amateurs and professionals, enlivens the entire historic center over a long weekend (which begins on the third Thursday in September): galleries and museums are open until late to the public; artists and pop-ups take over workshops, shop windows, restaurants, bars, roofs of buildings; when curators organize guided tours... 

Fondation Pilar and Joan Miró

Since 2004, the Art Palma Contemporani association has orchestrated this Art Night, as well as the Art Palma Brunch in the spring, which brings together a large number of galleries revealing their new exhibitions and offers an abundant supply of outdoor art. The still significant presence of a painter such as Joan Miró (1893-1983) is another sign of the importance of art in Palma. Half-Catalan, half-Mallorcan, he moved there in 1956, at the age of 63. His mark is everywhere, between sculptures and frescoes that the artist offered to the city. Inaugurated in 1981, the Pilar i Joan Miró foundation has thus endowed the capital with a teeming cultural center where the painter's career is honored with no less than 6,000 works (paintings, drawings, etc.). The building was designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. Another must-see is the artist Antonio Gaudí, responsible in 1903 for the (unfinished) renovation of La Seu Cathedral. In the Chapel of San Pedro, the 300 square meter ceramic mural, made between 2001 and 2006 by Miquel Barceló, is impressive. 

Es Raco d'Arta

Majorca still hides many other gems. Thus Studio Weil, dedicated to the American artist Barbara Weil (1933-2018), in Port d'Andratx, where she lived from 1972. The place, all curves and concentric circles, was designed by the architects Daniel Libeskind and Jaime Vidal Contesti. A little further inland, the CCA Andratx, the largest contemporary art center on the island, and one of the largest in Europe 4,000 square meters shared between an exhibition hall, art gallery and café, has also hosted artists in residence since 2001.

Thus Studio Weil in Port d'Andratx

In Alcudia, in the north of Majorca, the Museo Sa Bassa Blanca delights lovers of art, architecture and nature. The garden, where one could spend hours, houses more than 100 varieties of old roses and an animal park of granite works. The place also includes an observatory from which you can admire various installations, a library with more than 7,000 works, etc. A total art concept for this building, the main part of which was designed by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900-1989). 

Museo Sa Bassa Blanca

The houses of the Dane Jorn Utzon (1918-2008), famous in particular for having designed the Sydney Opera House, are also worth seeing: Ca'n Lis (1972), a family summer house with a sea view that he had to abandon it as it attracted curious people and lovers of architecture, now hosts the Utzon Foundation, which organizes, among other events, workshops and residencies for artists and architects for nine months of the year. Can Feliz (1994), also built using traditional Mallorcan construction methods and local materials, is located in the mountains, but its location has remained a secret ever since. In the heart of the old town, Ca’n Vivot already seduces from the outside, thanks to its magnificent patio. Once inside, you enter a palace whose last renovation dates from the 18th century. The only concession to modernity is that electricity has been installed in each room, lit by elegant Murano chandeliers. The library and common areas have been honored by visits from kings and queens from Spain and Europe, but also from Japanese emperors and Indian maharajas. The city-owned Palau Solleric is now an exhibition center. Its architecture and facade, in Italian style, are remarkable. A former palace turned theater, Rialto Living is now a store, exhibition center and café. The Palau March, for its part, displays sculptures by Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, etc.

Ca'n Lis 

But these days, the new architectural gems are the hotels designed by local builders. For example, Es Racó d'Artà, by Antoni Esteva: in a spectacular setting, in the heart of the vast natural park of the península de Llevant, on the wild east coast, the place, which offers spa, infinity pools, guided hikes , yoga classes and daily workshops (beekeeping, art therapy, etc.), invites you to reconnect and find inner calm. Designed by Sergi Bastidas, Can Ferrereta, housed in a 17th century mansion in the village of Santanyí, is a refined boutique hotel. Opened in spring 2022, in the lands of the south-east coast, it evokes a large Majorcan summer house and allows you to discover this little-known part of the island. Overlooking the bay of Palma, Cap Rocat, property of Antonio Obrador, who is also its architect, is a place of unique beauty. Situated in the middle of a fortified citadel, completely renovated, it invites you on a journey back in time.

Cap Rocat

Valldemossa

 

Valldemossa is a village on the island of Majorca. It is famous for one landmark, the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa, built at the beginning of the 14th century, when the mystic and philosopher Ramon Llull lived in this area of Majorca. Valldemssa means « valley of Moses » from the Arabic name Musa. Musa was an Arab wali (governor) who owned an estate in the region. Since the 19th century Valldemossa has been promoted internationally as a place of outstanding beauty, largely as a result of the affection of distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator.  Valldemossa is a very attractive tourist destination, as it shows early Spanish culture. 

 

Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa

 

Ramon Llul. A few decades after the Arabs were driven out of Mallorca by Jaume I in 1229, the local philosopher Ramon Llull founded a monastery just outside Valldemossa

In the 1830s the Spanish government confiscated monasteries and the historic estate was sold to private owners, who have since hosted some prominent guests. These have included the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin and his lover the pioneering French woman writer George Sand, who wrote a notable account of A Winter in Majorca. 

 

Jorge Luis Borges with his wife María Kodama in Mallorca 

Later the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío was guest of the Sureda y Montaner families who own the Chartreuse estate. To fight his own nightmares Rubén Dario would sleep in monk habits; however, his drinking habits caused a rift with his private hosts and thus his departure from the former monastery and from Majorca. Also Jorge Luis Borges lived in the town with his parents and his sister Norah, after the First World War let them free from their refuge in Geneva. Borges passionate friendship with the young artist Jacobo Sureda Montaner, son of the painter Pilar Montaner, was decisive for Borges writing mainly in Spanish.  

 

George Sand and Frédéric Chopin

In October 1836, Frédéric Chopin met a French woman writer George Sand at Franz Liszt's house. In the summer of 1838, George Sand and Frédéric Chopin became lovers. They spent the following winter from 8 November 1838 to 11 February 1839 together with Sand’s two children in Mallorca. At first, they stayed in Palma de Mallorca and then at the Charterhouse in Valldemossa. 

 

Prelude in D-flat major

Already after a month, Chopin was writing about Valldemossa in rather sad tones, complaining about the weather and local cuisine. The Mediterranean climate was to agree with the composer; however, that year’s winter was particularly rainy and Chopin caught a cold. On top of that, the piano that was imported from Europe especially for him, was lost during the transport. After the piano was found, it was waiting later for weeks at the Palma port for the duty to be paid. During this time, Frédéric Chopin was forced to play on a poor Majorcan piano. Despite the difficulties, he was working on his next pieces. It was in Mallorca where the collection of 24 preludes was completed (including prelude in D-flat major nicknamed "Raindrop"). 

There was not much left after the visit of the couple of lovers. The locals, afraid of tuberculosis, burnt most of the furniture of the rooms Chopin and Sand had lived in. Museums dedicated to the famous couple are located in the monastery cells 2 and 4. Memorabilia collected there include letters and manuscripts, portraits and sketches, as well as the Majorcan piano, on which Chopin had been composing since January 1836. There are also a Chopin's death mask and a lock of his hair, preserved in a George Sand's book. The museum is private and was founded in 1929 by Anne-Marie Boutroux de Ferrà and her husband Bartomeu Ferrà i Juan.
The Chopin Festival organised by Festivals Chopin de Valldemossa has been held since 1930 in August at the Carthusian monastery.

In cell 4, visitors can see the Pleyel piano ordered by the composer in Paris, which arrived in Valldemossa three weeks before his departure. When Chopin and Sand were leaving, they did not want to pay a high duty for the second time and left the piano to the director of the bank where Sand had opened an account. The piano, not yet fully paid off, was probably a form of a settlement. The piano was passed on in the banker’s family from one generation to another. Its current owners are the heirs of the bank director, the Quetglas brothers, who administer Chopin’s and G. Sand’s cell. The instrument is the greatest pride of their Chopin museum.

 

Port de Valldemossa

The Dry Stone Route

 

I plan to hike my next long-distance trail in April or May 2024 and this trail will once again take me to my beloved island of Mallorca. The Dry Stone Route, Ruta de la piedra en seco, refers to the long-distance trail 221 (GR 221), in Mallorca, Spain. It connects Port d'Andratx to the northwest of this island, to Pollença, to the northeast, thus traversing the Serra de Tramuntana, a mountain range on the north coast, characteristic of this island, listed in 2011 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

 

The Serra de Tramuntana,

It is called dry stone road because of the large number of constructions carried out by the technique of dry stone masonry encountered along the way: low walls, mines, huts of charcoal burners (half-stones, half-wood), icehouses ( Cases of Neu) for example. The GR 221 is the first long-distance hiking trail in the Balearic Islands. The project, presented in 1996, was approved in 1999 by the Island Council of Mallorca and obtained its provisional approval in 2002. The territorial plan of Mallorca (2004) provided for the development of a special plan, which was definitively approved on June 17, 2015, which defines the final route, the authorized uses and the regulations to be applied.

The route of the path measures a distance of 178 km, of which 94.5 kilometers are marked for the main route. It can be extended starting from Port d'Andratx, to the west to Port de Pollença, to the east, or even to Cap de Formentor. Apart from the marked parts, the route extends over nearly three hundred kilometres. It crosses the villages or sites of: Port d'Andratx, Sant Elm, La Trapa, Estellencs, Banyalbufar, Esporles, Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller, Fornalutx, Escorca, Sanctuary and Monastery of Lluc, Pollença, Port de Pollença and Cap de Formentor. In 2023, nine refuges are in operation: those of Galatzó, Coma d'en Vidal (near Estellencs), Can Boi (near Deia), Muleta (near Port de Soller), Castell d'Alaro , Tossals Verds, Son Amer (near the Monastery of Lluc, where accommodation is also possible), Son Tries and Pont Romà (near Pollença).  

Decided in 1996 and started in 2013, this trail is the first long-distance hike in Mallorca. It includes old paths, in turn peasant, Roman, mule or pilgrimage. The dry stone route takes its name from typical Mallorcan works, including dividing walls, properties or farms, wells, made without mortar, as well as the surfacing of the path. It crosses notable sites of Majorca and rises to almost one thousand two hundred meters above sea level, at the pass of ses Cases de Neu in the vicinity of the Monastery of Lluc. Near this same place, the GR 221 crosses the GR 222, the other long-distance hiking trail on the island which leads from Artà to the Monastery of Lluc. The path allows you to discover points of interest: the close view of the island and the natural park of La Dragonera, the isolation of the destroyed monastery of La Trapa, the old charterhouse of Valldemossa, the luminous valley of Sóller, Gorg Blau, artificial lake and water reservoir, the Puig Major, summit of the island, at nearly one thousand five hundred meters (1,436 meters) above sea level, the spectacular Pareis torrent, the Sanctuary of Lluc, the religious and traditional heart of Majorca, the Puig de l'Ofre , the Puig Maria and its Romanesque church, with an extraordinary view of the bays of Alcudia and Pollença, the famous cape of Formentor, from where contemplation of Menorca is sometimes possible.  

The course can be embellished with a dozen variants, which are as many detours by other notable points: the Puig de Massanella, one of the highest peaks in Majorca, accessible on foot, the village of Calvià, the castle of Alaró. The excursion, or the trek, is practicable all the year. Weather conditions can make this difficult. The months of May to June, together with October, are the best months to discover or to frequent this path. The heat of July and August can make the route more difficult, in addition to the tourist influx concentrated on the coasts, at this same time of the year. The same goes for thunderstorms in September, rains in November, March and April, and snowfalls in December, January and February.

 

Hotel Formentor, Mallorca : The possible utopia

 

Nearly a century ago Adan Diehl from Argentina fell in love with the peninsula of Formentor, located next to Pollença in Mallorca. There, he was dreaming of a place where aristocrats, businessmen, artists and writers from all around the world could gather. This spot becomes the name Hotel Formentor. A dream or madness? 

Adan Diehl, second from the left

Guests of the Hotel Formentor in the 1930s

For its uniqueness, troubled history and diverse roster of guests, who were residing in its rooms, the Formentor belongs to the category of unclassifiable hotels. It is not a typical hotel; even its origin can not be compared to others. Moreover, it is not just a building since all its natural environment has been preserved as if the constructive and speculative frenzy, that has affected the Mediterranean in the second half of the twentieth century, had not existed. Still standing, this place can be considered as a contemporary miracle. Adan Diehl, born in Buenos Aires, was the typical globetrotter who became an inspiration for novelists such as Scott Fitzgerald, Foster or even Thomas Mann in the first third of the twentieth century.  

Cultivated, cosmopolitan, elegant, he wandered the half of the world treasuring the friendship of aristocrats, businessmen, artists and writers. He was one of those who were capable of crossing America for a bet or getting lost in a three-week cruise on one of those transatlantic liners where every dinner required a strict etiquette. At that time tourism was not a mass phenomenon yet and travelers usually formed a restricted seasonal club to visit the iconic establishments of Cote d'Azur, spas of Baden and Davos, the Casino in Monte Carlo or ski resorts in Chamonix or Hallstatt. A life between suitcases, express trains and exceptional hotels until the day Mallorca crossed his path. In one corner of the island, near Pollença, he discovered a peninsula with tiny bays studded with twisted pine trunks, veined rocks changing color constantly, and with golden gleams of the Mediterranean light crackling over the sea scratched with white foam waves.  

This landscape that seemed drawn from the Argonauts' journeys or from Aeneid's travels, was Formentor. Fascinated, Diehl invested much of his fortune in buying the remains of the Mediterranean that increasingly cost more to find despite the beauty of the island. The peninsula had been owned by the Costa family, to which belonged the poet Miguel Costa i Llobera, who wrote the famous poem “The Pi de Formentor”, then it was handed over to the Argentine who was ready to bring his project to a successful end, regardless of expenses. By courtesy of Felipe Bellini, who later projected a road paid for by the new owner, he prepared the building plans inspired by currents of modern nationalist movement that was conquering international architecture of that time. The hotel opening brought a new economic perspective to the area. High salaries, working conditions with eight-hour working days and the prestige of working in an establishment of such characteristics unleashed a struggle among inhabitants of Pollença and the surrounding areas to get a job in Formentor.  

Hotel staff in the 1930s

That was the basis of one of the identifying hotel features: quality and professional service that have been maintained over time as a symbol of identity. The refinement of the interior and the care of every detail were an obsession for Dielh and his wife, Maria Elena Popolicio, who took charge of service, facilities and decor: Canopy beds and canopies of silk, silver cutlery, Mallorcan furniture, dinner sets from Limoges, linen tablecloths, glassware from Baccarat; nothing was enough for Formentor where for the most distinguished visitors golden cutlery was prepared. Jean Patou designed pajamas especially for the hotel and Mariel Rochas a gown that evoked the aesthetics of the Cote d'Azur. To crown his utopia, Diehl invited all his lifelong friends. Many of them such as Anglada Camarasa, Santiago Ruiseñol, Joaquín Mir or Pedro Blanes became enthusiasts of the seascapes with the tiny bays. In 1931 the first Formentor Wisdom Week attended by figures such as André Maurois, the Count Keyserling, Bosch Guimpera, Gómez de la Serna or Josep Pla took place. Throughout the time the cultural dimension has been a constant theme of the hotel and one of the most brilliant legacies of its founder over time. 

Jane Birkin in 1982 at the Hotel Formentor on the set of Evil Under the Sun

Adan Diehl did not make many mistakes, only one that was fatal: designing a model that was half century ahead. His commitment to environment-friendly tourism the contrary to overcrowding, respect for the nature, the preservation of the natural landscape were so visionary that surely few, if any, could understand it. He had enjoyed the adventure for five golden years before abandoning the property and the island, totally ruined. He could have saved his heritage by cutting down the Formentor forests, but in an act of generosity referring to the values of the past, he decided to present Pollença and its visitors with this landscape, where, as he thought, he had found his Ithaca. The whole village saw him off, all the authorities, working class and law-abiding people were watching him leaving like Antonio when he was abandoned by the gods in Alexandria. He did not neither whine nor complained about his bad luck, he kept his composure and charm to the very moment before the embarkation when he lost his Formentor forever. Closed doors, the Civil War, the World War and several ownership changes left the hotel to languish until 1953 when a group of businessmen from Mallorca and Ibiza decided, with financial aid from the Banca March, to revive the Formentor spirit. The Buadas family was one of the most important members of this group.

Joan Buadas, and especially his children Tomeu and Miguel, brought back to life the soul of the hotel as it had been at the time of Diehl. The famous travellers, royals, as Edward VIII, Rainier and Grace Kelly of Monaco, the stars of cinema such as John Wayne, Sir Laurence Olivier, Gary Cooper or Audrey Hepburn, and of course the writers, they all came back. They met again on its terraces, beaches, in its great halls
full of Castilian and Catalan literature. The literary prices were awarded again, highlighting Formentor, won in its first edition by José Luis Borges and Samuel Beckett. Moreover, the International Literature event that was supported by the editors Carlos Barral and Camilo José Cela was held. Barn Lane, Damaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, the Goytisolo, Blas de Otero, José Hierro, Robert Graves, Italo Calvino and a pleiad of writers, who gave life to the club of poets, took part in the Formentor affairs. The Buadas family, who kept the reins of the hotel until 2006, respected its commitment to the Formentor spirit and held numerous events, exhibitions and cultural initiatives throughout the years, such as the awards for humour and tolerance between 1984 and 1990.

In 2006, Barceló Hotels acquired the Formentor, retaining both its philosophy and landscape heritage that makes this hotel a symbol despite the ravages caused by the uncontrolled tourism and real-estate speculation that have destroyed much of the Mediterranean coast. Run as family business, Barceló has assumed this model that returns to search travellers rather than tourists, visitors who value, as well as a
service and equipment of high quality, the uniqueness of this almost unspoiled horizon, the history surrounding this establishment. A model of that man who dared to dream of a company that has become the heritage of all Mallorcans.

Words by Andrès Puch via spend-in.com/ 

The Formentor hotel in Mallorca, recently sold by the Barceló group to the Emin Capital investment fund, will reopen in 2023 under the Four Seasons banner and after a renovation during which it will increase from 122 to 110 rooms.  Take a look at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9wE48tS5rU