|
Visit the capital, your bike deserves the rest. Palma is
a city open to the sea with numerous architectural, historical
and cultural attractions, as well as a wide range of shops
and restaurants. Pay a visit to the Cathedral, the emblematic
symbol of the city. Or the old quarter where you can find
quaint, mansion courtyards. There are the Arab baths, too,
and the Llonja and Bellver Castle. And after all this you
could go shopping, or simply take a break in one of the
countless restaurants, cafeterias or bars. |
|
On
this cultural tour professional guides will lead you through
the streets, times, monuments and history of the port
area of Santa Cruz, in the city of Palma.
You
will discover the places where the great medieval Majorcan
cartography evolved (the Jewish Cresques family saga was
its greatest exponent) and the exquisite interpretation
of the Gothic style promoted by the master Sagrera. You
will also find out about surnames of corsair origin, the
bearers of which later became some of the richest families
in this quarter of the town, with their sumptuous mansions.
Another
important factor is the Order of Malta, with its Great
Majorcan Masters, and the parish of Sant Joan.
A
stroll through the history, everyday life, legends and
dreams of a place which, over the centuries, has lived
facing the sear.
"El
Barrio Judio"
The
“Call” or Jewish quarter of Palma was one
of the most important ones of the Mediterranean in Middle
Ages. Popular
figures such as the learned Simó ben Tsemah Duran
lived there, or the famous Talmudist Ionah Desmaestre,
the web-known doctor Iudah Mosconi, the important astronomers
Isaac Nifoci y Vidal Efraim and the illuminators of navigational
charts and compasses, Cresques Abraham and Jafudah Cresques,
the son of the former, famous throughout the world.
On
this tour you will experience the history and culture
of these men and women: you will find out about their
beliefs, their rites and festivals and you will hear anecdotes
about their day-to-day life. A world of desires, fears,
hopes, and dreams that fire and barbarism stamped out
forever on the night of August 2nd 1391. |
