The route we propose here starts at the Estudi General Lul·lià. The whole route is within the old quarter of Palma, in the area round the cathedral and the parish church of Santa Eulalia.

Estudi General Lul·là

We start our tour at number 4, Calle de Sant Roc, the Estudi General Lul·lià. It was built in 1950 on the site of the previous mansion and courtyards. If we set out on the tour in the summer months between June and September, we will find the Centro de Visitantes (Visitors' Centre) set up in the courtyard, where Palma City Council centralizes all the information about the Tour of the Courtyards. The Visitors' Centre is on the site of what used to be the Universitat Lul·liana de Mallorca, birthplace of the present-day Universitat de les Illes Balears.

It is now a cultural centre that is always intensely busy. The courtyard is a classic Baroque structure, with round arches on columns with Ionic capitals.

Deixam el carrer de Sant Roc i enfilam el carrer Estudi General Lul.lià cap a la dreta. Al Leaving Calle de Sant Roc, we take the Calle Estudi General Lul·lià on the right. At number 15, the doorway of Can Llorenç Villalonga opens up; Villalonga is considered to have been one of the finest exponents of the Catalan novel of the 20th century and is without any doubt the Majorcan writer who best portrayed the waning of the aristocracy, among these very same streets. Can Villalonga is also a house of modern construction.

We now take the turning to the left, Calle de Zanglada. Number 2 is Can Marqués, a seigniorial mansion which was rebuilt over another earlier house in the 18th century. It exemplifies in a masterly way the influence of Modernism on the evolution of many courtyards from the beginning of the 20th century on: the courtyard disappears and is roofed over with skylights included. This was the first step towards the transformation of the courtyard into a simple stairwell.

After leaving Can Marquès, we go towards the left and come to Calle de l'Almudaina. We go down the slope until on the left we come to a stretch of wall and a gateway in a wall dating back to the Late Roman period. During the period of Moorish rule this gate must have provided access to the area of l'Almudaina, the wali's palace.

Can Amorós

We come out in Calle Morey. Just here, we turn to the left and go to the end of the street, where Plaça de Santa Eulàlia begins. Number 1 is Can Amorós. In its interior we can see a beautiful courtyard, reformed like many others, but which still conserves red marble arches and columns, typical of the high point of the Baroque.

Retracing our steps, we go back down the slope of Calle Morey, and stop outside number 8, Can Ordinas d'Almadrà. This seigniorial house offers us a courtyard that is of great interest, because we can see one of the best surviving examples of late Gothic carving in the doorway to the studio on the right. For curiosity's sake, a Roman tombstone, found when the house was reformed, is on view under the staircase.

Can Oleza

At number 9 of Calle d'en Morey, we come face to face with the magnificence of Can Oleza, a paradigm of the Baroque: ionic columns with their pronounced entasis, very depressed arches, a loggia and wrought iron banisters on the staircase.

Go a little further on down the street, and turn into Calle la Portella. The first building you came to is Can Pasqual, at number 4. It is the paradigm of the eclecticism of many courtyards in Palma: 19th century staircase (in the novecentista style), neo-Gothic windows, and Baroque columns.

Ca la Gran Cristiana

Going on further down, we come to the Ca a Gran Cristiana, today the home of the Museu de Mallorca, and formerly the house of the Ayamans family. The courtyard is the result of a reform of the Early Gothic structure. It has baroque features, (the balconies of the main floor, the arches in the vestibule) but also neo-Gothic and Elizabethan (isabelino: a 19th century Spanish style, 1830 - 1870.) touches, (the windows of the attic) as a consequence of a series of alterations carried out between the 16th century and the 20th.

On to number 8 in Calle de la Portella., Can Espanya Serra receives us with its great neo-Gothic staircase. Number 9, Can Morey-Sant Martí used to be the house of the deceased painter J. Torrents Lladó. There is wonderful stone wall on the left topped by a neo Gothic gallery.

Cal Marquès de la Torre

The last courtyard to visit in Calle de la Portella on this tour is that of Cal Marquès de la Torre. Situated at number 14, it is the seat of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Baleares. This grand building was constructed at the end of the 16th century, in accordance with plans drawn up, by the engineer Martín Gil de Gainza, who was working on the walls of the city at the time. It is Renaissance in style except for the great novecentista staircase.

Retracing our steps up the Calle de la Portella, we turn right into Calle de la Formiguera. Straight away we come to the great building of Can Formiguera, better known as Compte Mal. This is a huge 17th century mansion, the most striking features of which are the great balcony, the wide eaves, and the bridge over Calle de Can Serra which joins the two main buildings of the house.

Walking on a little further up the street, we come to the Arab Baths, one of the few examples of Moorish art still preserved from the ancient Madina Mayurka. The building dates back to the end of the 10th or the beginning of the 11th centuries.

To be able to visit the next courtyard, we must go up Calle de Can Serra as far as Calle de Sant Alonso. At number 1 of this street, we come to Can Vanrell, which is small but very representative of the courtyards of the 18th century: marble Ionic columns and basket-handle arches. Further along the same street, we go past a Modernist building on our right until we reach number 11, Can Muntaner, where we can see the wooden coffered ceiling in the hallway and a segmental arch that separates it from the staircase.

Can Lladó

We leave the Calle de Sant Alonso to take the Calle del Vent, on the right. Can Lladó is in this very narrow street; the medieval origins of the house are demonstrated by the wooden coffered ceiling in the hallway. The courtyard has a strange trapezoidal shape.

Further along Calle del Vent, we reach Calle de Monti-sion, go past the church of the same name, the façade of which, built between 1624 and 1683 along early Baroque lines, shows the figures of the Inmaculada Concepción, San Ignacio y San Francisco Javier.

Turning left we find number 13, where La Criança is to be found. This is a 16th century building which housed an institution dedicated to the education of the daughters of the nobility.

Can Marquès del Palmer

En sortir de La Criança haurem de On leaving La Criança, we will retrace our steps only a few metres to the Calle del Sol. Once there, we take a left turn and continue as far as number 7, the Casal del Marquès del Palmer with its magnificent Renaissance façade, a unique example of decorative stone wall-carving.

Number 3, Calle del Sol is one of the most interesting houses on our tour, Cal Comte de la Cova. Here we can appreciate the architecture typical of the early Gothic courtyards: the wooden coffered ceiling in the hallway, the columns with octagonal bases, and the staircase formed by late Gothic traceried cloisters. Further along the street, we have to go towards Calle de Pere Nadal, on the right. On turning into this street, we come out in Calle Convent de Sant Francesc. To our right, in the Plaça de Sant Fancesc itself, we will see the great courtyard of Can Coll, otherwise known as Can Moragues del Racó. This is a courtyard that was reformed in the 20th century, but which still conserves a great Baroque staircase with wrought iron banisters. This house was the site of Majorca's Mint, the Bossa d'Or granted as a concession to the knight Pere Descatlar in the 15th century.

After leaving this great mansion, it is well worth visiting the Basilica de Sant Francesc, where the remains of the Blessed Ramon Llull are at rest. It is a church with one nave and side chapels. Construction was started during the reign of Jaume II, around the year 1281.The church underwent later alterations: the original beams were substituted by a vaulted roof and its Gothic façade gave way to a great Baroque doorway and pediment, with a sculpture by Francisco Herrera. Next door to the Basilica, the Cloisters are well worth visiting: trapezoidal in shape with lobular, ogival, arches.

They have been recently restored, and it is easy to see the progression of different styles and eras in its structure, from the north gallery, the oldest, to the south gallery, which was finished in the 15th century.

Can Ribes de Pina

After leaving the Plaça de Sant Fancesc by Calle Troncoso, we turn to the left into Calle de Savella. At number 23, we come to Can Ribes de Pina, where, in the courtyard, it is possible to admire its traditional 17th century characteristics.

In the same street on the left we come first to Can Catlar del Llorer at number 15. This is a very old building dating from the 13th century that, together with Cal Comte de la Cova, is one of the best examples of the early Gothic courtyard with its octagonal columns and the sobriety of its arches. Before leaving the street, we can see the contrast of styles at number 4 where Can Vivot is, an example of the grandiosity of the Baroque.

Can Vivot

Red marble columns, Corinthian capitals, basket handle arches, depressed to give the impression of lightness, the immense staircase, fit for an emperor, with wrought iron banisters. This was the house where Phillip's followers plotted and conspired in favour of the Bourbons during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Now we continue our tour from behind the Church of Santa Eulàlia. This is a Gothic church, the construction of which started in the 13th century and was one of the first to be founded after the Catalan conquest in 1229. Santa Eulàlia is the only Majorcan Gothic church with three naves, with the exception of the Cathedral. After walking along one side of the church, we arrive in the square of the same name, where we can observe the main façade of the Church, neo-Gothic in style, which was the work of J.M. Sureda i Veri between the years 1894 and 1924.

If we then take the very short Calle Cadena, we come out in Plaça de Cort, where the Town Hall stands. The Ayuntamiento de Palma has a Baroque façade and an impressive side wing, and is a clear example of the transition from the Baroque to Mannerism. It was finished in 1680.

Retracing our steps we go back along Calle de Palau Reial, which we had turned off, to go down Calle Estudi General where the last courtyard on our tour is to be found: Can Alemany. Perhaps the most characteristic aspect of this courtyard is its Gothic staircase, which is still conserved despite various reforms. The courtyard now has a curious mixture of elements: columns with octagonal bases from sometime prior to the 18th century and a 19th century gallery
Leaving Can Alemany and turning to the right, we will find Calle de Sant Roc. We will have arrived back at our starting point.