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| The Sacred Well of Font De Verger |
One of the Island’s best kept secrets, is the taste and quality of her fresh spring water. One has just to sip the fresh, cold and full bodied water, that comes from deep within the Islands earth to understand why it is unique and powerful. It has a pure taste, a raw, earthy, but smooth texture, that refreshes the taste buds in the mouth with surprising vitality. To us tourists in Northern Europe, the first thing we learn about water in Spain, is not to drink it. Ibiza has come a long way in recent years in providing good quality water to the Islands six million tourists that flush, shower and wash away huge quantities of the natural resource. At present, there are only two water desalination plants located in San Antonio (near Cala Gracio) and Ibiza Town, which service the huge demand from the mass tourism market during the summer season. The quality of this water is surprisingly drinkable but nowhere near the quality of the Islands fresh spring water.
In local folklore, it is said that the early Phoenicians, who first settled on the Island in 650BC at Sa Caleta, moved their settlement to what is now Ibiza Town, after red tinted water appeared from the earth and flowed to the hill of Dalt Villa. They saw this as a sign from their Holy Goddess Tanit, who is still worshipped on the Island to this very day. On that same hill, they buried their Royalty at the necropolis of Puig Des Molins. It is believed by both Tanit followers and local inhabitants, that the Mother Goddesses power and energy, dwells in the waters of the many springs and wells located deep in the pine forests of the Island. It was the Moors that recognised the quality of this water, when they built the many underground aqueducts and channels to irrigate the farming produce, that they cultivated so successfully, during the ninth century. The waters are said to contain medicinal powers and Islanders have performed traditional dances and rituals by these springs and wells for many centuries. Even today, these ceremonies are still performed around the many pous and fonts on the Island. The ritual at Font De Verger, near the village of Sant Joseph, takes place annually around August 5th, during the celebration of the patron Saint of Ibiza, Saint Mary Of The Snows. Santa Maria de les Neus
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| Font De Balafia |
So, when next visiting the Island of Ibiza, take a little time out, to sample some of her fresh spring water. There is a famous well called Font De Balafia, located in the ancient Arab village of Balafia, on a narrow dirt road behind the church in the small village of Sant Llorenc. The water flows freely here from an underground cave and for those who want to experience a feeling of Tanit’s energy and purification, its a journey that’s well worth the effort. Other well known wells on the Island include Font Des Verger, Pou De Gatzara, Pou De Leo, Font De Peralta, Pou De Forada and Rou Roig.
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