Monte Toro - the Site of Fabulous Views and Amazing History

Added: 04/21/2006

Ferreries, an appealing little place, no more than a village really. There's little to detain you here, except, of course, its great attractions. Monte Toro is one of them. It's a place of pilgrimage, famous for its amazing views of the entire island. There are also popular bars and cafes on the Ferreries main road which serve some of the tastiest tapas on the island.

On the main road across the island, Ferreries is the westernmost town before reaching Ciutadella. It is sheltered from the the north wind that sweeps down from the Pyrenees by S'Enclusa, the island's second highest point. There are popular bars and cafes on the main road but the town itself does not cater specifically for tourists. The Vimpi bar on the plaza at the entrance to town serves tapas.

The major industry in Ferreries is the manufacture of high quality furniture. Throughout the year the town offers interactive exhibitions, lectures and other activities, all with a seasonal theme and universal appeal. During the spring and summer months the exhibits are designed especially for tourists ensuring that the museum is open for all. Heading on from Ferreries, you'll find one of the best examples of a naveta - the Naveta d'es Tudons - beside the main road some 6km short of Ciutadella.

Seven meters high and fourteen long, the structure is made of massive stone blocks slotted together in a sophisticated dry-stone technique. The narrow entrance leads into a small antechamber, which was once sealed off by a stone slab; beyond lays the main chamber where the bones of the dead were stashed away after the flesh had been removed. Folkloric memories of the navetas ' original purpose survived into modern times.

In Ferreries you can also see Trepuco site - the ancient rock mounds, which are to be found all over the island. Local folklore has it that they were watchtowers. The mounds do not have stairways in the interior, and most are to be found in the interior of the island. As yet no one has been able to pin down their origins.

Monte Toro - the top of the mountain, at 357m, is the highest point of the island. It is a steep 3.2-km climb along a serpentine road. Here you can admire the views and look around the ancient monastery at the summit. The views from the summit are fabulous; when the weather is clear you can see practically the whole of the island. Monte Toro has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times. In the 17th century the Augustinians built a monastery and remains of the original building can still be seen. Monte Toro should not be translated as Mount Bull, the name rather comes from the Arabic word for 'highest point', Al-Thor'.

In the 17th century, still under the threats of possible attacks from the Turkish Empire or from North-Africa, the construction of a fortress on El Toro was undertaken. The only part of that project that was ever completed was the old square tower that now serves the Spanish army as a radio station. Monte Toro has been shared between a convent and an army outpost. At the end of the courtyard is the entrance to the restored baroque church, built in 1595. A chapel was built and dedicated to San Salvador. From the courtyard there is also the entrance to a modern souvenir shop and a cafeteria.

Take a trip to a beautiful town of Ciutadella, known to Muslim's as Median Minurqa. Ciutadella is an appealing city with a charming port and an historic old quarter, which are worth exploring.

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