The Archaeology of Magical Minorca QQQQ

Cala Morelle, Prehistoric Necropoli

Visit this extraordinary prehistoric necropolis comprising 14 open caves that punctuate the cliffs along the island’s north coast around the cove of Cala Morell. Used as a resting place for the dead, the earliest graves on the site date to around 1,600 BC. Around 1,000 years later the necropolis was enlarged to accommodate collective burials which also took place here. Explore this fascinating site with its caves dedicated to the dead, some with entrance areas where offerings could be left, as well as architectural decoration on some.

Ciutadella tour

Head to the west of the island to visit Ciutadella, Minorca’s one-time capital, with its medieval streets, and historic quarter. Its appeal can be summed up by its nickname among the locals, Vella I Bella  translates to ‘Old and Beautiful.’ There has been a settlement here for some 4,000 years but it was 1558 when an army of Turkish troops invaded and destroyed much of the architecture.

You can still visit the 13th-century Santa Maria Cathedral, which boasts a huge marble altar and the baroque-style Chapel of Souls, it survived the Turkish invasion but was damaged during the Spanish Civil War. The influence of the Ottomans is apparent in picturesque Placa d’es Born, once an Arab marching ground, where an obelisk now stands to commemorate the invasion. Other architecture of interest includes the Town Hall, Teatre Municipal d’es Born and the Palau Salort and Palau de Torresaura palaces.

Fort Marlborough and Mahon Military Museum

Enjoy an afternoon excursion to the Cala de Sant Esteve cove on the southern side of Mahon harbour where Fort Marlborough stands proudly. Built by the British between 1720 and 1726, the base was named after the English soldier and politician Sir John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. The commander-in-chief of the English forces in the War of Spanish Succession was an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill. The fort was partially destroyed in 1782 by Spanish invaders, though the British strengthened its defences after reclaiming the island less than 20 years later.

See underground tunnels, ammunition bunkers and reconstructed rooms before continuing to the Museo Militar de Menorca. Housed in an 18th-century barracks in Mahon, this military museum details the island’s military history and includes exhibitions of ancient cannons, guns and weaponry.

Mahon and the Museum of Mahon

Look forward to a guided tour of Mahon, the island’s vibrant capital. Also known as Maó, the east coast city is built around the largest natural harbour in the Mediterranean, more than three miles long and over half a mile wide, which makes it the second largest in the world after Pearl Harbour. Look forward to seeing the architectural legacy of the British occupation and learning about the conflicts which saw the island’s rule change hands between Britain, France and Spain five times in less than 50 years in the 18th century.

Your tour also included entry to the Museo de Menorca which showcases the island’s cultural heritage with exhibits ranging from ancient sculptures to fine art from the 20th-century. The archaeological collection includes items from Talaiotic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods.

Monte Toro

Enjoy a morning trip to the centre of the island and its highest point, the summit of Monte Toro. The hill rises to a height of 1,122 feet above sea level and is home to the Sanctuary of the Verge del Toro, a striking Gothic church dating back to 1670.

There is also a Rio de Janeiro-style statue of Christ– Jesus of the Sacred Heart – at a place which has been a popular place of pilgrimage since the 13th-century. El Toro is also designated as an ANEI protected natural area.

Museum Moli de Dalt

Take a coach inland to Sant Lluís, a bright, white-painted town established by the French during their seven year occupation in the 18th-century. Stop to visit the ancient site of Molí de Dalt, the town's last surviving working flour windmill.

Constructed in 1762, it operated until 1949, when it was badly damaged by high winds. You can enjoy time in the small museum dedicated to the history of the local rural community and even climb the refurbished tower.

Naveta d’es Tudons (megalithic burial site)

Visit this large burial chamber regarded as one of the finest monuments of the Balearic islands. With its curving profile and inner chambers, human remains and artefacts were found within when it was excavated. Walk around the exterior of this remarkable stone chamber which comprises two inner chambers and an upper floor.

Sanisera

Board a coach to the site of the former Roman city of Sanisera, which was occupied for around 600 years from the 1st century BC to the west of the natural port of Sanitja, next to the Cavalleria Cape on Menorca’s north coast.

Archaeologists discovered the site around 40 years ago and have since uncovered Roman factories, a Roman military camp, an early Christian basilica and graveyard and a Necropolis with dozens of tombs arranged in rows, the final resting place of some 250 people.

Talaiotic Settlement of Torrelafuda

Talaiotic culture refers to the customs and skills of the oldest-known inhabitants of the Balearic islands, who called Minorca home before the Roman conquest in 123 BC. Talaiotic refers to the stone towers in which people lived up to 3,000 years ago.

Torrellafuda is home to a small Talaiotic settlement which stands in a shady old wild-olive grove. See burial chambers, admire a talaiot tower and walk around a taula which encloses the remains of a number of homes and a rubble wall which once circled the site. Learn more about what you have seen on an included illustrated talk before dinner this evening.

Torralba d’en Salort- megalithic site

Another Talaiotic settlement has one of the largest and best preserved taules on the island. There are also two talaiots, a hypostyle roof, caves hewn into the bedrock and a section of cyclopean wall.

The site is said to have been inhabited since 1,000 BC and remains from as late as the 17th-century, including a chapel from the Middle Ages, have been uncovered.

Torre d’en Galmes - prehistoric site

Torre d’en Galmes is one of the largest Talaiotic sites in the Balearic islands. It can be found on a rise on the south coast, from where it enjoys wide-ranging views, even including distant Majorca on clear days.

See three talaiots and a taula enclosure in a communal area then stroll towards the private homes to find circular houses with rooms leading off a central courtyard and an underground water cistern. An unusual hypostyle room in one of the houses once had a roof supported by columns wider at the top than at the base. Learn more in the site’s visitors centre.