Bunyola - Reixa GR 221 variant 5 / D - Valldemossa

From Bunyola train/bus stop Costa de s'Estació - Road Ma-11 - Reixa along GR 221 variant 5 / D - Valldemossa bus stop.

Bunyola:
A village and municipality located in the spurs of the Serra de Tramuntana, covering an area of 84.6 km2 and with a population of approximately 6,600 inhabitants. The old railway Ferrocarril de Sóller passes through it on the way to/from Palma.
Bunyola is located in the Comarca of Serra de Tramuntana awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO as an area of great physical and cultural significance.
Traditionally Bunyola has acted as a link between Palma and the Tramuntana mountains. Age-old roads all converge here from Sóller, Orient, Valldemossa and Palma. The mountains have been used as meadowlands for royal hunts and by suppliers of wood, charcoal, stone and ice.

Raixa:
Originally an Islamic farmstead, Raixa is now an item of cultural interest and it has been transformed into a public interpretation centre. The estate house was built at the entrance of Raixa valley, where a complex water supply network was made featuring one of Mallorca’s biggest irrigation ponds. The estate owes its past splendour to Cardinal Antoni Despuig, who decided to transform it into an Italian villa in the 17th century, surrounded by gardens featuring an orange grove, gallery garden and kitchen garden. A spectacular staircase can still be seen, decorated with sculptures.
Raixa is an estate with close ties to the Despuig family, who acquired it in 1660, and in particular Cardinal Antoni Despuig (1745-1813), one of the key figures of the Enlightenment in the Balearic Islands. An enthusiastic art collector, he championed major renovation work on the houses and estate, creating the appearance of an Italian villa, whilst conserving its function as an active farming estate. Highlights include the olive press, the watermill, the chapel and the wine cellar, as well as the gallery on the southern front of the main building. Another striking feature is the Apollo garden, with its monumental stairway and a large 98 metre long irrigation pond, filled with water from the Font des Polls de Pastoritx spring, built in the early 19th century. Romantic-inspired features can also be admired in the Sa Muntanyeta gardens, which were created later. Since 2002 the estate has been owned by the Consell de Mallorca and the Ministry of the Environment and today it houses the Serra de Tramuntana Visitor Centre.