Talaiot de Torelló

A tower of stacked boulders from the Bronze Age now carries an airport light on its crown. The Talaiot de Torelló stands at the northern edge of Menorca Airport, and planes take off and land straight over it, so the island's prehistory and its flight path share the same patch of sky.

The detail to look for is the doorway. It sits high in the wall, capped by a lintel stone, which sets Torelló apart among Menorca's talaiots. Little of the settlement around it survives; the airport's northern section was built over much of it.

Nearby, the foundations of an early Christian basilica (Basílica des Fornàs de Torelló) keep their mosaic floors, and the two sites make a natural pair.

• There are no toilets, no drinking water and no information point at the site, and none nearby. Bring water, especially in summer.
• Neither the entrance nor the parking is wheelchair accessible.
• Planes take off and land directly overhead, and the noise comes with them.
• The early Christian basilica with its mosaic floors lies nearby, so plan to see both.

Torelló sits on the outskirts of Maó, beside the northern edge of Menorca Airport. The mast with airport lights on top of the tower marks it out as you get close.

The nearest parking is about 320 m from the tower in a straight line, and the last stretch is on foot. The free Aparcament Sant Climent lies further out, about 1.4 km away in a straight line.

By bus, the nearest stops, Corniola - Escorxador and Camí de na Ferranda, are both about 1.4 km away in a straight line, which makes for a longer walk in.

Best: early morning or the last hours before closing, when low light rakes across the stone and picks out the courses of the tower.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day.

The site stands in open ground with no shade and no water to hand, and the Menorcan midday sun in summer leaves nowhere to shelter.