Nothing like the heart of the island to discover its other side
The diversity of Ibiza It's not just a slogan from tourist guides. The island still hides secret corners, far from mass tourism, beaches and parties, that allow you to go from 100 to 0 in a few kilometers.
We only need a 30-minute road trip to get from the maelstrom of beach clubs and luxury boutiques to the most absolute tranquility, and the latest trends in electronic music to the sound of the chicharas and the song of the roosters.
As a time machine we are going to use one of the most modern cars on the market, a Smart Fortwo cabrio, 100% electric, which implies 0 polluting emissions and silent circulation . you can get one in the Hotel Ushuaia Beach of Ibiza, which joins the challenge of sustainable mobility. This innovative hotel, temple of the latest trends in electronic and dance music, this year has a fleet 25 smart electric.
Dalt-Vila
SURROUNDING IBIZA
At the wheel of one of these two-seaters and with fully charged batteries, which gives us a range of about 150 or 160 km , we set off looking for other landscapes in a different Ibiza.
We leave the bustling Platja d'en Bossa and take the capital's ring road, the E-20 , which starts at the neighboring airport.
On this road, only eight kilometers long, the motorcycle rider Valentino Rossi, A regular visitor to the island where he has a house, he once joked about organizing an 'Ibiza Grand Prix'.
It is unthinkable that on this motorway, even if it is a double lane, no competition is held due to its tunnels, cement medians and other elements that are not very compatible with the safety of a motorcycle speed race, but it is very useful for streamline traffic and distribute to vehicles that go to the different points of the island. Also, from here and driving east there is a spectacular view of Dalt Vila , the old part of Ibiza town.
After about six kilometers we take the exit to Sant Antoni de Portmany (San Antonio) and at the roundabout where we come out we head north along the C-731.
Dalt-Vila
The signage on this road is good, not in vain it is designed for visitors and residents from all over the world.
The first kilometers, in addition to being very congested by traffic, are not very attractive: many roundabouts, industrial warehouses, hypermarkets and in the gaps that remain, billboards where the parties are announced every day in the big nightclubs.
SANT RAFEL DE SA CREU AND SAINT AGNÈS
The road becomes a highway, with two lanes in each direction, which speeds up traffic and little by little the field is gaining space on the cement.
We leave behind, on the left, the Amnesia nightclub, which was one of the most beautiful when it occupied the interior and gardens of a country house.
A few years later the soundproofing regulations turned it into a closed block.
About 12 kilometers from the beginning of the route we leave the C731 . This cart ends a few kilometers later in the port of San Antonio, the busiest on the island with the Peninsula.
Saint Agnès, welcome to stillness
We take the PMV-812-2 , to the right, once more at a roundabout, towards Sant Rafel de sa Creu . This road crosses part of the town and we quickly find the indication to Saint Agnes , our destiny.
Saint Agnes of Corona It is the heart of a valley, and l Corona Plan , which despite its proximity to the frenetic Saint Anthony (it is just north of this town and belongs to its town hall) maintains the rural essence that the island had when the first hippies landed in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century. And not much else will change because it is currently a protected area.
ORCHARDS AND FORESTS
As soon as we leave Sant Rafel we come face to face with a different Ibiza, similar to how it must have been at the beginning of the 20th century.
On the narrow two-lane road we drive completely alone between orchards of reddish earth, delimited by stone walls, with fig, orange, lemon and almond trees.
In summer you can come across a cyclist who generally does not speak Ibiza or Spanish, but we do most of the route alone. This area has more visitors in winter , especially in February and March, when it is painted white by the flowering of the almond trees.
The road is perfect for driving an electric car, which has the maximum torque of the engine from the start, which helps him to joyfully climb the curves that we find.
The Crown Plan
the valley, the pla , is surrounded by small mountains ( puig ), each with its name. Although they do not exceed 300 meters above sea level, it is enough for the road to twist in a few fun curves, easy to draw , and to redecorate the landscape with a lush Mediterranean pine forest.
In the middle of the trees you can even discover old buildings for animals. For a few minutes it doesn't feel like we're in Ibiza.
ARTISAN TORTILLAS
Saint Agnes It is a tiny and almost ghostly town. The center is made up of four houses and one elegant church built with the typical white architecture of the island. They tell us that it has the originality of having two doors: one main and one lateral under the porch that the Ibizan temples add to protect the faithful from the sun.
Next to the church are the two most famous places in the town. ** Can Cosmi ,** a bar and grocery store where they cook some delicious potato and vegetable tortillas, Y Cas Sabater where they can be bought traditionally worked leather goods (bags, belts, sandals and even shoes).
Both places go at their own pace, with hours that have nothing to do with those of tourists, so you can arrive and they are closed.
We return from the East and again to the South through the Camí Corona de Dalt , which starts from the square of the church of Santa Agnès and takes us to Saint Matthew of Albarca.
This route offers us a panoramic view of the valley. It is an area where there are more vine and olive crops , some even centenarians and with a twisted trunk. From a farm we are watched by some burritos leaning out on the road.
**THE MYTHICAL CAS GASI**
By the road VMP 804-1, to the south, we connect with the Old Path of Sant Mateu to visit another of the secrets of the interior of Ibiza, Cas Gasi .
Church of Sant Mateo de Albarca
This 17-room boutique hotel , is built on a 19th century country house and has been open all year round for two decades now. It was one of the first 'agroturismos', which is what they call rural houses in Ibiza, and some of those celebrities who secretly visit the island hide within its walls.
Cas Gasi is a perfect example of luxury and sophistication as has been traditionally understood in Ibiza. No buddhas and no weddings. With leafy gardens and the utmost concern so that their 'guests' enjoy complete tranquility , even has a children's pool away from the adults.
The restaurant, which uses organic produce from the house's own garden, is focused on Mediterranean cuisine driven by the Chef Arnau Sala, a 33-year-old Valencian, emigrated to Ibiza six years ago.
Facade of Cas Gasi
The hotel has an electric car for its customers and a fast charging socket that we take advantage of to recover the autonomy of our vehicle while we eat. In Ibiza, however, it is easy to find recharging stations, public or private.
Before returning to Platja d'en Bossa we make a stop at Saint Gertrude , the tourist version of an inland Ibiza town, full of little shops, restaurants and even hotels. We recommend you get your strength back at the **Costa bar**, specializing in delicious ham sandwiches that are eaten on the terrace, in low chairs like at school.
DIFFERENT READINGS
Few literary works have what Ibiza was like before the tourist boom . Luckily, the Gadir publishing house has published for the first time in Spanish Life and death of a Spanish town , one of the best works of the American elliot paul , which was first published in 1937.
Like a forerunner of Robert Kaplan, Paul recounts his life in Ibiza during the first moments of the Civil War, making an autobiographical, social and anthropological chronicle. Essential for those looking for a different point of view of the original Ibiza.
Saint Gertrude
From 100 to 0 in half an hour