The hill of Puig des Molins, the hill of the windmills, rises on the edge of Ibiza Town, and under its slopes lies one of the biggest ancient cemeteries in the western Mediterranean. The Phoenicians and then the Carthaginians, who founded the city of Ebusus on this coast in the seventh century BC, buried their dead here for centuries, cutting underground chambers into the soft rock, and they are known as hypogea. Over three thousand of these tombs have been found, and the city's archaeological museum, set at the top of the hill, displays the grave goods that came out of them, including pottery, jewellery, glass beads, terracotta figurines and amulets that came from as far away as Egypt.
The necropolis forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 1999, which recognises Ibiza's biodiversity and culture together, along with the walled upper town, the Dalt Vila, and the seagrass meadows offshore. Phoenician Ebusus was a trading post of some importance, and the island was a stop on the sea routes between the Levant, North Africa and the Iberian coast. Among the finds are terracotta figures of the goddess Tanit, who was a major deity of the Punic world, with a beautiful and slightly stern face. The dead were buried with the things they would need, so the tombs are a kind of time capsule.
Ibiza has a reputation for clubs and parties, but the part of the island that matters to a rider is quieter. Roads cross the interior through pine woods, almond and fig groves and terraced fields, with white farmhouses and little churches, and the north coast has twisty roads with sea views. The summer traffic around the town and the airport is dense, so go early or choose spring and autumn, when the island belongs to its inhabitants again. The surface is generally good, but narrow lanes and blind bends call for care, and the wind can be strong on the coast.
Ibiza Town has about forty-eight thousand people, so fuel stations, shops and cafes are in good supply. Santa Eulària des Riu and Sant Josep have more on the other roads. The local speciality is bullit de peix, a fish stew served with rice, and flaó, a cheesecake flavoured with mint and anise. The air smells of pine, salt and herbs, and in the evening the light on the old town walls is wonderful. The museum is worth an hour, and the view from the top of the hill over the harbour is worth another.