Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Fornells (Spain). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sanisera, Sant Antoni Castle, and Cap de Cavalleria Ecomuseum. Also, be sure to include Torre de Fornells in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Fornells (Balearic Islands).
Table of Contents
Sanisera
City on Minorca, Spain. Sanisera was one of the Roman cities located in the island of Menorca, which was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his book Naturalis Historia, III, 77–78 in the 1st century BC:
The Baleares, so formidable in war with their slingers, have received from the Greeks the name of Gymnasiæ. The larger island is 100 miles in length, and 475 in circumference. It has the following towns; Palma and Pollentia, enjoying the rights of Roman citizens, Cinium and Tucis, with Latin rights; and Bocchorum was a federate town. At thirty miles' distance is the smaller island, 40 miles in length, and 150 in circumference; it contains the states of Jamnon, Sanisera, and Magon.[1]
Sant Antoni Castle
Also known as: Castillo de San Antonio
The Sant Antoni Castle is a fortress located in the Spanish village of Fornells, in the municipality of Es Mercadal, in Menorca. It was built in the 17th century in the local harbour and due to this building, the town was born.
Only some ruins are left from the structure, as it was dismantled by the Spanish after the British domination, just like St. Philip's Castle. Not far from there, there is the Fornells Tower, a defensive tower whose objective was protecting the castle from enemy attacks.[2]
Cap de Cavalleria Ecomuseum
Also known as: Ecomuseo de Cap de Cavalleria
The Cap de Cavalleria Ecomuseum is an institution which is located on the northernmost coast of Menorca, in the proximity of Cavalleria Cape and the port of Sanitja. The Ecomuseum was created in 1997 by the non-profit association “San Nitja. Gestión del Patrimonio Mediterráneo”, with the main objective of protecting, investigating and spreading the cultural and natural resources of Cavalleria and the port of Sanitja.
This task is carried out by the interdisciplinary study of the following elements: geological (sedimentation and stratigraphy), biological (native fauna and flora), environmental (preservation of the environment to face up to the pressure of different factors such as tourism), ethnologic (lime kiln, dry walls, lighthouse, etc.), as well as historic and archaeological (Roman military fort, city and medieval mosque), all of them located in the area. Among them, it is worth highlighting the last element mentioned, due to the archaeological interventions in the port of Sanitja, which are carried out in the Roman military fort, dating from the 1st century B. C. and the Roman city of Sanisera (1st century B. C. to 6th century A. D.)
The Ecomuseum’s visitors receive all the information related to this territory inside the Santa Teresa building, by means of audiovisual material, scale models and the exhibition of the archaeological findings revealed in the excavations that are carried out in the port of Sanitja. The exhibition “Discover the North!”, inaugurated in 2005, offers a general view of all the elements mentioned above, and it is translated into six languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, German, Italian and French.
Moreover, once visitors has seen the exhibition in the Santa Teresa building, they can continue with the free visit of the surrounding area by following the “7 routes” guide, which starts at the way out of the museum and which complements what is exhibited in the showroom, in order to know the most important cultural and natural elements of the landscape.[3]
Torre de Fornells
Fornells Tower is one of the many defence towers that surround the coast of Menorca. The Fornells Tower was built between 1801 and 1802, in the last period of British rule, with the aim of guarding the entrance to the port of Fornells, prevent the landing of enemy ships and protect the Castle of San Antonio.