Special Event: Open Day with local artisans making local products is on Sunday, 3rd November. Doors will open from 10am - artisans might arrive a little later – visitors are welcome until doors close at 5pm. Entrance is free on this day.
In the northern village of San Carlos, Ibiza, just a couple of hundred metres up the road leading to Cala Leña, on the left there is a sign set back off the road that reads
‘Es Trui de C'an Andreu'
Look for the big olive tree with room for parking around it – you can't miss it.
Find yourself in the area on a Saturday and it would be a poor choice to drive straight on by. Instead, if you park beneath the olive tree and stroll up the driveway, you will be welcomed into a World of centuries past. C'an Andreu is a fully restored 17th century ‘typical' house of the time and indeed has remained in the same family for generations before becoming a local museum.
Now, hands up from me, I've never been a great one for history until recently but what I encountered as I popped in and was shown around, had me genuinely fascinated.
The building itself is both typical Ibiza but beautifully maintained, both internally and externally – the grounds having a full threshing circle, bread oven and lime kiln oven.
Learning why the walls were four foot thick, why Sabina pine and posidonia seaweed made up the ceiling (but normal pine was used for the kitchen roof) and a World of eons past starts to come dramatically to life.
Hearing why the Ibicenco chairs are less than 30 centimetres in height and made for adults not children; understanding the difference between Virgin and Extra Virgin olive oil and how it was used to protect against armies … and the tour becomes a fascination.
Knowing why many of the old fincas have huge cactus patches nearby (you'll be amazed!) and why donkeys were allowed in the kitchens, all with walls black with soot whilst the rest of the interior is pristine white and indeed, on an island of deepest red soil, how the white ‘paint' came into being… this doesn't even start to scratch the surface of your journey through time as your English speaking guide Miguel leads you from room to room.
During the tour other information comes to light, like why the posidonia seaweed is intentionally left on the Ibiza beaches in the winter but cleared away for summer visitors – and it's more than a matter of economy.
Costing just 3 euros, the tour has to be one of the most entertaining and best value for money experiences I have had the pleasure of undertaking on Ibiza.
Finally, after trying a complimentary shot of Hierbas, the island liqueur, in the small souvenir shop also in the house, I left and in doing so drove away looking at the island around me with a fresh and informed perspective – and perhaps just a little awe.
Quick Facts
What? Typical 17th Century house, beautifully restored.
When? Open from 10.30am – 2pm and 3.30pm -5:30pm, Saturdays
Where? Turn right at Bar Anta's in San Carlos towards Cala Leña and approximately 200 metres on left, see large olive tree with parking and sign just up hillside for C'an Andreu.
Why? Not only is the property beautifully restored but the insight into how the generations of Ibicenco's in centuries gone by lived and worked is truly fascinating
Average Cost: 3 euros per person.
Disabled facilities? Regrettably not due to the authentic nature of the house.
Room for Improvement? As certain facts came to light throughout the tour, I wondered for a moment if we had been too hasty in some of the changes we'd made in modern life – but that ‘room for improvement' comes from ourselves, not C'an Andreu which I really couldn't fault.
Top Tip? If you've not tried Hierbas before, do! And make sure your camera batteries are fully charged – the house is incredibly picturesque.
For Group Bookings, please contact your guide, Miguel, directly on +0034 609 693 949
Also Check Out
- Our recent review of Bar Anita in San Carlos - perfect for a quick drink or meal before or after your tour.
