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The Argentinean poet and visionary built the Grand Hotel Formentor in 1929 (see Hotel Formentor), marking out Mallorca as an upper-crust tourist destination.

This 10th-century brick hammam (bath house) is one of the few architectural reminders of a Moorish presence on Mallorca. A small horseshoe-arched chamber, with a dome supported by irregular columns and what would once have been under-floor heating, it has survived in its original form. This would have been the tepidarium , the lukewarm room; there would have also been a hot room and a cold plunge. Apart from this, there’s not much to see, but the pleasant garden has tables and chairs.

During the Middle Ages, this was Palma’s most fashionable church, and to be buried here was a major status symbol. Aristrocratic families competed with each other by building ever more ostentatious sarcophagi in which to place their dead. The dark interior contains many fine works of art. Next to a 17th-century statue of the Madonna is the carved figure of the famous medieval mystic Ramon Llull, who is buried in the church. Standing in front of the basilica is a statue of Junípero Serra, a Franciscan monk and native of Mallorca, who was sent to California in 1768 and founded Los Angeles and San Francisco. (See also Basilica de Sant Francesc, Palma).

In 533, the Byzantines defeat the Vandals and bring the Balearics under their rule, restoring prosperity and also an orthodox form of Christianity. From faraway Constantinople, Emperor Justinian rules the islands as part of the province of Sardinia. They enjoy this Byzantine connection until the end of the 7th century, then become more or less independent, with close ties to Catalonia.

These well-preserved megalithic ruins, from the Talaiotic culture that dominated the island some 3,000 years ago, are similar to those found at Ses Paisses. The word “Talayot” refers to the towers at such sites, which were two or three storeys high. The central round towers are the oldest elements here; around them is an encirling wall and square towers to complete the defensive complex.

Various peoples, including the Greeks, use the island as a trading post. However, the absence of metal ores deters further colonization until the Carthaginian Empire spreads to this part of the Mediterranean in the 7th century BC.

One of just a handful of round castles in the world, and impeccably preserved, this building conjures up images of damsels in distress and bold knights galloping to the rescue. In fact, its history is more prosaic – it was a prison for enemies of the crown for hundreds of years.

The 14th-century castle on the island of Cabrera, off Mallorca’s south coast, has a chequered history, subsequent to its original purpose as a defence measure for the southern reaches of the main island. At various times it has been a pirates’ den; a crowded, deadly prison for 9,000 French soldiers in the 19th century; and an outpost for Franco’s Fascist forces in the 20th century. Now the island it oversees is a nature preserve, and a climb up to the crumbling old fortress will be rewarded with some stupendous views (see Illa de Cabrera).