Mallorca

"Mallorcan homes are made of stone and, in addition to the ground floor, they have at least one upper floor. Roofs are covered in Spanish tile and have one or two slopes. All the houses are numbered, even isolated ones, and there are some that have been numbered several times due to successive changes in the land registry. The current numbering used is more elegant than the old style which was simply painted; today, the numbers are black or blue on white tiles.

Only in exceptional cases to we find houses painted white or any other color. In general, the houses crudely reveal their basic material, whether stones or panels.

The large entrance is rectangular and framed by limestone pillars or an arch, more or less. In this case, the lintel consists of panels which narrow progressively on one end. Modern houses, beneficiaries of a new architecture, have a rounded arch though the vault is not very pronounced. It is not at all attractive compared to the simple and so elegant shape of the proper rounded arch. They decorate the entrance with an old vine, assisted in its climb by wooden slats attached to the wall. Many houses are preceded by a porch with thick pilasters, as can be particularly seen in Calvià district. The windows are rectangular and not very large. They simply close with shutters and are without glass.

A narrow stairway leads to the top floor, while the space underneath opens onto the almost underground stables for the beasts of burden which can also be reached directly by the home’s main door. The first floor rooms tend to be small and have low ceilings. They are used either as bedrooms or as storage rooms to dry farm products, with ears of corn hanging down from the roof, and carobs and beans spread out on the floor."

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: General Part. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982