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Though it is a pretty terraced town in a magnificent mountain setting, its old houses of grey-brown stone – left unplastered and unadorned – were essentially built for defence. Even the 15th-century church belfry was used as a place of refuge, as were most towers on the island.

Spilling down a steep hillside, Deià’s earth-tone houses are, to many, the finest on the island. English poet and writer Robert Graves and his artistic friends certainly thought so, bringing international fame to this really rather modest town. Today, the tiny artists’ retreat has been bought up by the wealthy, though it still retains its humble appearance.

Often voted Mallorca’s loveliest town – if not all of Spain’s – this enchanting mountain village was founded by the Moors in the 12th century. The tiny town square is a friendly gathering place, but it is the heady views people remember – up to the island’s highest mountain and down into a verdant chasm below.

Again, it is the mountain setting that dazzles: this tiny, remote hamlet of some 40 houses has some of the finest views the island has to offer. It’s also an excellent base for hikers or anyone who just wants to breathe the exhilarating air.

At one end of a very scenic mountain road, under the shadow of the commanding Castell d’Alaró, this pleasant village dates from at least the time of the Moors. If you want to climb up to the castle, drive up to Es Verger restaurant and proceed on foot: the ascent takes about 45 minutes and the view is marvellous (see Castell d’Alaró).

The town is probably second only to Palma in the number and splendour of its mansions, dating from the 18th century, when it became the centre of a booming wine business. All that ended at the end of the 19th century, when phylloxera wiped out the vines, but wineries are making a comeback these days, producing good reds.

A way station for weary travellers through the centuries, the village has a charming Baroque belfry, the Convent dels Mínims and a quaintly traditional Mallorcan textile factory (see Read’s, Santa Maria del Camí).

Most people pass through the outskirts of this small town on their way to Puig de Randa, but it’s worth stopping for some good restaurants, where the people of Palma dine at weekends (see Es Recó de Randa, Algaida). The Gordiola Glassworks are also nearby.

Founded in 1300 by Jaume II, Santanyí was given a protective wall due to its proximity to the coast. Only part of that wall remains but it gives the place a certain character. For this reason, the town has attracted a large number of foreign dwellers, who have turned it into a rather cosmopolitan, well-kept place compared with nearby towns. Check out the art galleries on the main square (see Ambar, Santanyí).

The extremely large and well-preserved medieval fortress that dominates the ridge above the town is the main reason to come to Capdepera. With its crenellated walls draped over the rolling hilltop, it is certainly a noble sight and one of Mallorca’s finest castles. Some sort of fort has been here since at least Roman times, and more or less continuously used throughout centuries of international squabbles and pirate raids (see also Castell de Capdepera).