Off the Iberian peninsula, seventy-five miles from the coast of Valencia, you will find Ibiza, an island containing many five star hotels Ibiza and Formentera make up the Pine Islands. In antiquity, they were known as the Pityussa Islands, and called Ophiusis and Ebyssus — they were the base for pirates, until Annius, a Roman General, drove them away. The island, founded in 650 B.C. was renowned for its marble, lead, and wine. Today, it’s a popular tourist attraction that offers one of an incredibly beautiful and tranquil setting, but also known for a dance scene so vibrant that a genre of music, the Baleric Beat, was named after it.
In addition to its social life, Ibiza has many museums of interest, from the Ethnological Museum of Ibiza, which explores the first people living on the island to Musee de Arte Contemporaneo (Museum of Contemporary Art) to the Archeological Museum, examining the history of the island, to the Puget Museum in Dalt Vila, which examines the island’s rural life as well as the city of Ibiza.
The Ethnological Museum was opened in May, 1994, and there you will see examples of past cultures, including jewelry and clothing, farm implements, winemaking tools, and so on. A much older museum is the Musee de Arte Contemporaneo, begun in 1969, and actually began its collections from the Ibiza Bienalle in 1964.
If you don’t have a taste for the night life or the museums, there’s plenty to explore: There’s Es Cana, a local marketplace selling clothing and handmade jewelry. There’s the Puig des Molins, a famous cemetery, representing different eras in the history of the island, dating back to the Roman and Phoenician eras. C’an Marca Caves are also worth exploring for the spelunker at heart. These caves are over a hundred thousand years old and were once known as a hideout for smugglers, and they provide an incredible view of the Mediterranean Sea.
But for the traveler who likes some exercise, hike up to El Mirador, the highest point of the island, which offers magnificent views.
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Tags: Ethnological Museum, five star hotels Ibiza, Musee de Arte Contemporaneo