Puig de Missa, white on blue and a slippery green

PalmThe Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878-1956), who wrote in German, said that every walk should be accompanied by the contemplation of nature. The proposal we want to share with you all embraces this from two perspectives: the natural, the Santa Eulària River; and the historical, the fortified church on Mount Misa. All of this in a short but intense itinerary. Because climbing to the top of Mount Misa in Santa Eulalia del Río is to enter the white light that Villangómez so aptly described: a vertical, vigilant, and silent Ibiza, where the church is both the house of God and the wall of the people. "From here, what you yearn for, beauty, / is offered to you, extended and expansive. / A thick forest that rises and falls slips down. / The field is sanded with green and ochre. / The orchard ends there and the sea begins. / White above blue, foam, ship in the (Santa Eulalia del Río. Mariano Villangómez Llobet. Mediterranean Poems –1943-1944–).

The climb is a short but historically and symbolically significant route. The ascent, from the town center to the hill overlooking the mouth of the Santa Eulària River – the only river in the Balearic Islands – retraces a centuries-old route: the path the inhabitants took to reach the parish church and, at the same time, a place of refuge. Its bastion controlled the river mouth and the mills with its cannons.

We will not mark the time between the different points of interest on this route. The distance is short and the elevation gain is minimal. Take it easy and enjoy the walk. If you wish to use public transport, the L-13 bus connects Vila with Santa Eulària. You can also check the website. eivissa.tib.org You will be able to see and evaluate other options.

The route

[00 min] We begin our walk at numbers 25 and 27 on Sant Jaume Street. Between these two houses begins the Vila path, a stepped walkway that leads us uphill to the gates of Can Ros, home to the Ethnographic Museum of Ibiza. It was in 1994 that, thanks to the joint efforts of the Illes Balears Foundation and the Consell Insular de Eivissa (Island Council of Ibiza), this emblematic traditional mid-18th-century farmhouse, dedicated to agriculture and livestock farming, with a vast estate that reached the river mouth, opened its doors transformed into an immense exhibition space.

We continue our walk along Padre Guasch Avenue. Antoni Guasch Bufí (Santa Eulalia del Río, 1879 - Seville, 1965) was a Jesuit traveler, scholar, and linguist who led a life full of endeavors in both hemispheres: Europe, Asia, America, and Oceania. He was born in the ancestral home of Can Ros and was the youngest of five siblings. Antoni Costa Bonet and Felip Cirer Costa dedicated a book to him. Father Antoni Guasch Bufí, apostle of GuaraníPublished in 1991 by the Balearic Institute of Studies. Without leaving the same avenue, always heading uphill, the popular 'steps' announce our imminent arrival at the church on Mount Missa.

The 'steps' highlight an old, centuries-old custom associated with the Catholic devotional practice of the Stations of the Cross, often represented by a black wooden cross or one painted black on a white wall along the path outside the church, which is frequently situated on a hill. The final steps before reaching the 55-meter summit upon which our objective massif sits are steeped in symbolism. Narrow alleyways and wide, stepped staircases wind their way through a small cluster of houses at the foot of the fortified church of Santa Eulària des Riu. The church we see today was built around 1560, during a period of constant pirate attacks, at the same time as the walls of the town of Ibiza were being constructed. The older church, dating from the 14th century, was badly damaged as a result of a Turkish attack in 1543. Of undeniable strategic value, the entire complex was designed to watch over the coast and anticipate dangers. It should be noted, however, that "Monte de Misa" is the name given to each of the two hills on whose summits stand the fortified churches dedicated, respectively, to Santa Eulària and Sant Miquel, the latter in the Balansat district. Initially built in the 14th century, their high and commanding location allowed for the rapid organization of shelter and civil defense in case of a sea attack. The Monte de Misa of Santa Eulària controlled the eastern sea passage, while the Monte de Misa of Sant Miquel controlled the northern coast. Other fortified churches include those of Sant Jordi de ses Salines and Sant Antoni de Portmany.

Before continuing the walk, it's worth visiting the interior of the Church of Santa Eulària and taking a short stroll around the exterior. Next, we'll descend to the two bridges: the Nou (New Bridge) from 1918 – the entrance to the town – and the Vell (Old Bridge) from the 18th century – a pedestrian bridge – which still span the Santa Eulària River. Both were replaced by a third, more modern and less charming structure that leads to the ring road. The mountain and the river connect via the Cala Llonga path, which leads to Sant Jaume Street, from where our walk continues along the Pont Vell promenade.

Legend of the 'fameliares'

One of the most curious legends of Ibiza is that of the familyThere are also enormous-headed goblins that, according to legend, are born from a magical herb that only grows under the Old Bridge of Santa Eulària on Saint John's Eve. Beware if you wake one, because it will constantly demand "work or food." But the bridge itself is the product of another legend, the one that tells how the villagers, unable to build a bridge to cross the mighty river, asked the devil for help. He agreed to build it in a single night in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross, but he was tricked by the mayor of Santa Eulària, who, upon seeing it finished, released a cat. The rest was the work of the parish priest, holy water, and many prayers.

The descent to the sea is easy and flat along a very pleasant riverside promenade. The area was once surrounded by orchards and numerous water-powered flour mills, which relied on the abundant river flow. Like the Dalt or Can Planetes mill (river interpretation center), the Enmig mill, the Can Marge mill, and the Baix mill. From Punta del Nadador, we reach the seafront promenade, which we follow until we reach the Alamera promenade. From there, we enter the town and complete the circuit in front of the Town Hall [1 hour 30 minutes]. We can visit the Civil War air-raid shelter, now an exhibition space.

@Fita_a_Fita