Moving south from Port de Pollença, it's just 10km round the bay to the pint-sized town of ALCÚDIA , whose main claim to fame is its imitation medieval wall. Indeed, the whole place is overly spick and span, a poor reflection of the town's historical importance. Situated on a neck of land separating two large, sheltered bays, the site's strategic value was first recognized by the Phoenicians, and later by the Romans, who built their island capital, Pollentia, here in the first century AD, on top of the earlier settlement. In 426, the place was destroyed by the Vandals and lay neglected until the Moors built a fortress in about 800, naming it Al Kudia (On the Hill). After the Reconquest, Alcúdia prospered as a major trading centre, a role it performed well into the nineteenth century, when the town slipped into a long and gentle decline - until tourism refloated its economy.

 

It only takes an hour or so to walk around the antique lanes of Alcúdia's compact centre, and to explore the town walls and their fortified gates. This pleasant stroll can be extended by a visit to the meagre remains of Roman Pollentia (April-Sept Tues-Fri 10am-1.30pm & 5-7pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am-1pm; Oct-March Tues-Fri 10am-1.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am-1pm; ¬1.20), whose broken pillars and mashed-up walls lie just outside the walls.

Buses to Alcúdia halt beside the town walls on Plaça Carles V; there's no tourist office. For food , there are several good cafés on Plaça Constitució, but it's hard to beat the cosy café-bar of Ca's Capella , just east of the church of Sant Jaume along c/Rectoria.