IBIZA

Throughout its history, Ibiza has always interacted with other cultures. Punics and Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs… All have surrendered to its brilliant light, the purity of its skies, and the transparency of its waters.

Once the Christians were established following the Reconquest, the island was surrounded by defensive stone towers from which to scan the horizon in search of Berber pirate schooners, who would land and raid the camps in search of women and food.

The people of Ibiza, alerted by the lookouts, would then abandon their houses in the fields (impeccably whitewashed) and rush to take refuge within the walls of the city or in the fortified churches of the towns.

The melting pot of cultures and the need for good defences have left Ibiza with an architectural heritage of pure, rustic, and striking lines which has attracted artists from all over the world. The epic spirit that the island transmits to all those who live here, the intense light that bathes the scenery and drives artists to create, and the peaceful feeling that can be soaked up in its fields, make it a paradise land where every dry stone wall and every thousand-year-old olive tree can tell a story.

The sacred hills of Santa Eularia and Sant Miquel, with their fortified churches, the temples of Sant Josep, Sant Jordi, or Sant Antoni, the town of Sant Llorenç de Balafia, the thousands of peasant houses scattered across the valleys and plains, the wells and reservoirs built by the Arabs.

The legacy of the ancients is generous and spectacular, and continues to be a setting for parties and celebrations. Therefore a considerable and constant effort goes into restoring it and conserving it, starting with the Ibiza Government.