Dreams of Mallorca: The Serra de Tramuntana

Glorious mountains and the charming villages of Sóller and Fornalutx

Gerhard and I returned to Mallorca at the end of March 2022, just as the world was opening up again after the Covid shutdown. Our goal this time was to focus on the Serra de Tramuntana (mountains of the north wind), which extend the length of Mallorca’s northwestern coastline.

This mountain range is almost 90 kilometers (56 miles) long, 15 kilometers (9 miles) wide, and occupies about 30% of the island’s terrain. Ten peaks rise to over 1,000 meters; the highest is Puig Major (1,443m). No rivers run through the area, although torrents can swell rapidly after rain and have dug deep trenches in the rocks on their way down the mountains.

The extremely varied terrain is rich in fauna and flora, and ancient irrigation systems and dry stone terraces, built during the Arabic occupation (10th-12th centuries), are still very much in use. For all of these reasons, the Serra de Tramuntana were declared a UNESCO world heritage site in June 2011.

In addition to the beautiful mountains themselves, several charming villages are also located here, including Sóller, Fornalutx, Valldemosa and Deià.

Sóller

Fornalutx (pronounced for-na-lootch) was the village that stole my heart the first time we visited Mallorca in 2018, and I really wanted to see it again. However, because it is so small—about 700 inhabitants—we decided to rent a finca (a traditional Spanish farmhouse) on the outskirts of Sóller (pronounced SO-yer). With a population of around 13,000, Sóller is by far the largest town in the Serra de Tramuntana and just a 40-minute walk from Fornalutx through beautiful terrain.

The name Sóller derives from the Arabic word suliar, which means a golden bowl. This is an apt name since the village sits in a fertile valley thick with orange groves.

Gerhard and I arrived at the airport in Palma, picked up our rental car, and headed to Sóller, our excitement growing as we arrived at our finca, which was surrounded by an orange grove and had beautiful views of town.

This being March, the weather when we arrived happened to be rainy and cold, with nighttime temperatures in the low 40s. We started searching in the house for some kind of heating system, but could find nothing. There was a huge open fireplace in the living room, but no wood. We called the landlady, and she confirmed the house had no heat and arranged for a neighbor to bring us some wood for the fireplace.

After a lot of effort, Gerhard finally got a fire started, but the smoke completely filled the house and we had to open up all of the doors and windows to air it out! Clearly, spending two weeks in the finca was not an option, so after a freezing cold night, I made some calls and found a small hotel in the center of Sóller that could accommodate us.

We asked for and received a refund for the money we had paid for the finca and immediately moved into the hotel. Called Ca’n Abril, it—and the staff who greeted us—was wonderful. Our beautiful, large, ensuite room was at the very top, and it was toasty warm (and clean and comfortable). The only downside was that there was no lift, and we had to climb up and down three flights of narrow, curving stairs every time we came and went. But that was a small drawback considering our lovely room and the kind staff.

During the tourist season, the staff at Ca’n Abril serve breakfast in the interior courtyard. Since it was still off-season, however, they gave us coupons to eat in a bakery in town for free. The bakery was lovely, but I prefer healthy food for breakfast rather than sweet pastries.

That is when we discovered the wonderful Miga de Nube cafe, which specializes in healthy, organic brunches and delicious coffee. They also have a large, tree-filled interior garden where we ended up eating breakfast almost every morning!

Sóller, which has been inhabited since at least 2000 B.C.E., consists of a maze of narrow streets lined with residential townhouses whose windows are framed by green or black shutters.

Ireland has many narrow, one-lane roads, but they’re freeways compared to the streets in Mallorcan villages. Cars, bicycles and pedestrians all make use of streets like the one in the picture above—all at the same time. Sometimes the streets are so narrow that cars have to back up and inch forward several times in order to turn a corner!

Like most Spanish towns, Sóller is built around a lively, restaurant-filled, main square. Called Plaça Constitució, it is dominated by Sant Bartomeu, an ancient church that was first constructed in the 13th century. In the late 17th century, architects added a Baroque structure, and in 1904 Joan Rubid, an ex-pupil of Gaudi’s, added a modernist facade.

Sóller has a long, main shopping street with the lovely name of Carrer de Sa Lluna (street of the moon). For pedestrians only, it is lined with all kinds of interesting shops.

Some of my favorites included a jewelry store (Ca’n Alta) owned by artists from the UK and a shop (Georg’s) filled with delicious food products from Mallorca—in particular a whole wall of vinegars flavored with different fruits and herbs. You can get little samples of each vinegar before deciding what to buy. (I bought one flavored with Mallorcan organges and one with lemon and lavendar that are both wonderful.)

Several shops sold items made from cork, including shoes and purses. And the bakery (Forn Sant Cristo) had delicious crusty breads, quiches, sandwiches and more.

Sóller is also a really convenient transportation hub. Thanks to a wonderful wooden vintage train that dates from 1912, you can easily travel back and forth to Palma. The trip lasts an hour and takes you through beautiful mountain scenery, over viaducts and bridges, and through 13 tunnels.

If you look at a map, you will notice that Sóller is located about 5 miles/8 kilometers inland from the Port of Sóller on the coast. This is because it was much easier to protect the inland location from the pirates who constantly attacked Mallorca between the 13th and 19th centuries.

Although the distance between Sóller and its port is not far, the terrain is challenging. On the one hand, this did help to protect Sóller from the pirates. On the other hand, it hampered the export of oranges, Sóller’s most important crop. So in 1914 Mallorcans built a tram between the two locations, making it much easier to ship Sóller’s delicious products to the rest of the world.

Visitors can still take this vintage tram today. The ride only takes 15 minutes, and it is a really convenient way to explore the port.

Fornalutx

Fornalutz

Amongst blue and violet mountains,

When the evening fades away,

There are light clouds of slow and enchanted smoke.

Fornalutx is small, like a flower. Water passes through the quiet valleys

With calm and soft tears,

And suddenly the coveted and golden oranges

Shine through dark leaves. The town is untiringly steep,

Women sit on the small levels,

There is the scent of flowers, the murmur of prayers. Over a gentle and blessed way of life

Night rises like a tale of horror

With fiery eyes and black as coal.

—Josep Carner, 1907. Translated by Richard Mansell.

Fornalutx is a small village built upon a steep hillside. Surrounded by the Serra de Tramuntana, it is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It began as an Arab farmstead over 1,000 years ago, and its current configuration dates from the time that the Catalans wrested control of Mallorca from the Arabs in the 13th century.

The desire to explore and see more led Gerhard and me up one flight of stairs after another. We wandered through narrow passageways lined with traditional stone homes bearing tiled roofs and green shutters. Bougainvillea and other colorful flowers draped over stone walls, and hundreds of potted plants lined the passageways.

Everywhere you look, there are magical doorways that make you want to enter and meet the people who live there. What are their stories? What are their lives like? How long have they lived in this beautiful, magical place?

Almost every street ends with glimpses of the Tramuntana Mountains. In fact the views from just about every street are stunning. Lemon, orange and olive groves hug the outskirts of town, while sheep graze peacefully in their shade.

The small town square is edged by a small general store and a couple of cafes. The Església de la Nativitat de Nostra Senyora dominates the square. Although the church’s current Gothic form dates from 1639, the first iteration was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century. The church’s bell rings out across the village every hour and quarter hour throughout the day, stopping only at 10:00 pm for the night.

One of the cafes—Cafe Med—has become one of our favorite restaurants in Mallorca. The intimate cafe only has 4 or 5 tables and is owned by a lovely young couple. He is the chef and she is the server, and they grow much of the food used in the restaurant on their own farm. The menu changes daily and is absolutely delicious.

Unfortunately, I liked the food so much that I ate it up completely before I remembered to take any pictures. Both times we were there! So that will be a major goal the next time we are in Mallorca.

I was only going to write two posts about Mallorca. This is the second one, and it is already too long! But I really wanted to tell you about a hike we took in the Barranc de Biniaraix as well as about Valldemosa and Deià. So I will stop for now and write one more post next week.

What about you?

In the meantime, what about you? Have you ever been to Mallorca? If so, what was your favorite part?