Alcudia

The ancient town of Alcudia has a fascinating and turbulent history. The Phoenicians and Greeks settled here and the Romans made it their capital in the 2nd century BC. Destroyed by the Vandals in the 6th century it was rebuilt again by the Moors before being liberated by King Jaime I of Spain in the early 1200s. The Spanish sensibly fortified the city; its massive city walls date from this era. Today visitors still enter the narrow streets of the old town through one of the two gates, which are guarded by large towers. Near the town, at Polentia, is a well preserved Roman amphitheatre and the Oratori de Santa Anna, one of Mallorca's oldest churches.