Everyone has an idea about Ibiza. It’s a party island, Calvin Harris and David Guetta. Well, I suppose parts of it are probably like that, but we have just spent a week there, and we thought it was lovely. We went in October 2025, and we will happily go back again.
The island is quiet in October, the season is winding down. But it’s still warm enough to eat outside in the evening. The beaches have the usual hotels and cafes and supermarkets selling tat, but underneath, especially in the centre of the island and away from party town San Antonio, it is still a small Spanish community of churches and farms, and that’s what I sketched in my week there.
Iglesia de Sant Joan de Labritja Described as the ‘quintessential Ibizan village’ St Joan nestles in the northern hills. There is a neat village square with a weekly Sunday market, and in the centre, the 18th Century church, which I drew from the little café across the road, where delivery drivers stop for their coffee break, and the smell of chicken roasting for lunch brings the locals in.
Torre de sa Sal Rossa/Torre des Carregador (Salt Loader’s Tower) There are eleven watchtowers in Ibiza, an early warning system looking out for pirates. This one was built in the 16th Century to guard the channel between Ibiza and Formentera and to provide a refuge for workers from the nearby salt pans. 200 people could take shelter in the two-story building. The engineer was Juan Bautista Calvi.
Iglesia de Sant Francesc de S’Estany, Las Salinas Just at the turn off for the Torre de sa Sal Rossa is the little 18th Century church of Sant Francesc de s’Estany. This was built for the same salt pan workers and houses a small salt pan interpretation centre, and some walks out into the salt pans. There is also a statue of a salt pan worker by the local artist Pedro Hormigo. It is a nice little spot, and the presence of the nearby airport doesn’t seem to disturb it.
Puig de Missa de Santa Eulalia This church, built in 1568, is more a church-fortress, designed to shelter islanders from pirates in its large porch (porxo), which explains the lack of windows. The church is built right on top of a hill. At the rear of the church is a large semi-circular abutment where cannon were placed to defend the flour mills that used to line Ibiza’s only river. Once again (it is believed) the engineer was Battista Calvi.
Catedral de Santa Maria, Eivissa The cathedral here in Ibiza’s capital dates back to 1235, however what you see here is the result of refurbishment in 1782. The official (i.e., Wikipedia) title is The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Snows. It sits on top of the fortified area of the Old Town (Dalt Vila) of the city. It is a steep climb up through the old town to get to the top, but the views from the walls over the harbour are well worth it. Again, the fortifications were designed by Calvi.
The harbour is a fine place to sit and draw, bustling with all manner of boats and activity. We had a light lunch and a beer at the ferry terminal café sitting outside and watching the ferry of Formentera unload, then reload everything from elderly couples on a day out shopping to a cement mixer being offloaded. All human life is here.