Soller Mallorca

Set in a lush valley of orange groves between the mountains and the sea, Soller is popular with day trippers who arrive on the vintage train from Palma  and seem to do little but sit outside the cafes in Placa Constitucion soaking up the atmosphere and the sun. With several tapas bars, a fine selection of pastry shops, local ice cream and freshly squeezed orange juice, there is little temptation to move on. Soller grew rich on oranges and the results can be seen in its extravagant modernista architecture. The church of Sant Bartomeu has a 1912 arched tower suspended above the rose window, with spires like huge needles pointing into the air. The same architect, Gaudi's pupil Joan Rubio, designed the Banco Central Hispano next door. A stroll to the cemetery above the station, flanked by cypress trees and filled with potted plants, gives a clue to Soller's history Several of the epitaphs are in French, revealing the significant French community of the town, descendants of those who came to make their fortune by exporting oranges.

Soller has two museums worth visiting. The Natural Science Museum, in a turn-of-the-19^th century manor house on the Palma road, has a collection of fossils and a botanical garden. The Museu Municipal is an 18^th century town house in the town centre, filled with antiques and relics of old Soller.