The extraordinary history of the Mediterraneans capital of hedonism
- Ibiza Received wisdom has it that Ibiza is an island of Union Jack-shorted beerboys singing Here we go here we go here we go on their way to a 24-hour rave. But the reality of the island today is very different. It is & always has been a magnet for hedonists but la Isla Blanca is actually a sophisticated cosmopolitan island of enormous natural beauty
- far more Jade Jagger than Jordan. The islands history reads like a history of pleasure itself. The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit their goddess of sex around 650 BC & named the Island after Bez their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a bit of down time between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. & over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island either as a playground or as a dump for the kind of people who didnt quite fit in back home but who youd probably quite like to meet at a party. Stephen Armstrong tells for the first time the fascinating history of this fantasy isl&. It is a story of invasions & migrations of artists & conmen of drop outs & love-ins. This narrative is framed by Stephens highly entertaining experiences during one long golden summer on Ibiza an island where anything can happen
- & it usually does.