In the centre of Selva the key points of interest are the town hall, the main square where the market is held weekly on a Wednesday, and the church of San Lorenzo which is Gothic in style and dates from the 13th century. The park with its large square is also a focal point where the locals meet at their popular festivals; the view from here is really beautiful.
Selva is ideally located, a 30 minute drive from the beautiful beaches of Port d’Alcúdia and a little further from the beaches of Playa de Muro and Ca’n Picafort, all on the east coast of the island.
There are a handful of restaurants in Selva and the small neighbouring villages, with additional choice of dining establishments in the nearby town of Inca.
Selva market is on a Wednesday morning. Although small it is a great place to find the usual fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, as well as numerous other stalls selling clothing and footwear, fresh plants and flowers.
If you are looking for a nice gift for yourself or someone back home, it is worth visiting the Kollflex shop located at the entrance to Selva, which offers a wide variety of high quality leather products for both men and women.
In June, Selva hosts the popular two-day event ‘Fira de ses Herbes’. The fiesta, which began in the year 2000, is a celebration of the traditional use of herbs in Mallorcan culture. Wild herbs were collected and used for medicine, cosmetics, cookery, magic and to adorn local festivals. Exhibitions, tasting of traditional food and drink, conferences, demonstrations and courses around the subject take place.
On the Sunday, a market is held selling products related to herbs, as well as the principal celebration which includes the collection of wild myrtle from the mountains, brought into the town in horse drawn carts and then distilled in a huge antique still in the main town square in order to make ‘Aigua de Murta’. This myrtle water was used in medieval times as an astringent and antiseptic and was much in demand by pilgrims who travelled through Selva on their way to the famous monastery of Lluc.
The houses, streets and squares of Selva are decorated with herbs, plants and hand-painted banners relating to another important element of the celebration – the ‘Estol de ses Herbes’. This is a group of six characters from traditional Mallorcan folklore, each connected to a particular herb, who dance accompanied by Pau and Rosa, the Selva giants, and the ‘dimonis boiets’ (children dressed as little devils).
