Vilafranca de Bonany Mallorca

As you drive through this small town on the road from Palma to Manacor, you cannot help noticing the strings of vegetables hanging outside several of the shops peppers, aubergines, garlic and, above all, tomatoes These are the famous tomatoes, sold on their stalks to be spread over pa amb all.  Vilafranca is also known for its honeydew melons, whose harvest is celebrated with a large melon festival each September. The other reason for coming here, apart from food, is to visit Els Calderers, a manor house between Vilafranca and Sant Joan This was once at the centre of a great wine estate but like so many others it fell victim to the phylloxera disease. Reopened in 1993, the 18th century house is now museum of Mallorcan furniture and traditions; you can visit the wine cellar, granary, bakery, chapel and wash-house as well as wander around the main house with its paintings, guns and hunting trophies.