Western Talaiot of Cornia Nou

Bronze Age talaiot of massive unmortared stone blocks, one of two at Cornia Nou on the edge of Maó

The Western Talaiot of Cornia Nou is a talaiot, a stone tower of the Talaiotic culture that took hold on Menorca and Mallorca in the late Bronze Age, raised from large blocks laid without mortar. It is one of two talaiots in the Cornia Nou settlement, an archaeological site listed as cultural property on the outskirts of Maó, the island's capital.

Historical landmark

Entrance: Free; there is no ticket.
Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible: neither the entrance nor the parking is adapted, the ground is uneven stone, and there are no toilets.
Parking: No car park at the site and little room at the roadside. The nearest mapped car park, about 475 m away in a straight line, is free but reserved for customers; another lies about 845 m away.
Difficulty: A walk up from the road to the site; the ground around the tower is uneven stone.
Transport: Bus stops Corniola - Escorxador and C. Corniola, 34, about 260–270 m away in a straight line.
Hours: Listed as Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–19:00, closed Monday; access has at times been limited to one day a week, so check before a special trip.
Address: Cami Vell de Sant Climent, 105, 07712 Maó, Illes Balears, Spain

What makes it special

The blocks are the first thing you notice: rough slabs of stone laid without a trace of mortar, stacked into a tower that has stood for around three thousand years. Look closely at the joints and the method shows itself. Nothing holds the structure together but the weight of each block and how well it sits on the one below.

Cornia Nou is also one of the easier Talaiotic sites on Menorca to reach without a car. It sits on the edge of Maó, with the nearest bus stop about 260 m away in a straight line, so the monument fits into a morning in town.

Good to know

There are no toilets and no drinking water at the site, and none nearby. Bring water, above all in summer.
Parking close to the site is hard to find. A small car fits at the roadside; the bus is the simpler option.
Access has at times been cut to a single day a week, whatever the listed hours say. Check before making a special trip.
Neither the entrance nor the parking is wheelchair accessible, and the ground around the tower is uneven stone.

Getting there

The site lies on the outskirts of Maó. By bus, two stops, Corniola - Escorxador and C. Corniola, 34, are about 260 m and 270 m from the monument in a straight line, and the rest is on foot.

By car, parking is the awkward part. There is no car park at the site, and roadside space is tight: a small car can pull in at the side, and from there you walk up to the tower. The nearest mapped car park, about 475 m away in a straight line, is reserved for customers.

Best time to visit

Best: early morning or late afternoon, when low sun picks out the joints between the blocks and the heat has eased.

Avoid: the middle of the day in high summer.

This is an open-air site with no water and no toilets, and bare stone under a Menorcan summer sun at midday makes for a hot, short visit.

Access & restrictions

Cornia Nou is a protected archaeological site, listed as cultural property. Keep off the walls of the talaiot and out of any fenced or excavated ground, and leave every stone where it lies: the structure is held together by nothing but the weight of its blocks.

Sun & daylight

Historical landmark

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Torre de Binixiquet