At a height of 822 metres, from time immemorial Puig d’Alaró has been the ideal spot to take refuge and keep watch. It was already inhabited back in the Talayotic period, and in 902 its inhabitants fended off the invasion by Muslim troops. It was also a focal point of resistance, in the case by the Arabs, against the 1229 conquest by the Crown of Aragon. Nevertheless, the Hisn Alarun Castle, which is what the Muslims called it, is famous because of a sad episode out of history: the siege that it was subjected to by King Alphonse of Aragon, who had declared war against the Mallorcan King, James II.

According to tradition, two of its most valiant defenders, Guillem Cabrit and Guillem Bassa, were sacrificed and roasted on a grille once the castle was seized. The reason for such a cruel retaliation was the mockery that both men had made of the name of the monarch, by making a play on words exchanging the name Alphonse with the term amfós, which in Mallorcan means “grouper”.

The walls of the castle, which adapt to the rock to such an extent that they even merge with it, were built in the 14th century. An oratory inside the walled area devoted to Nostra Senyora del Refugi (Our Lady of Refuge) was built in the 17th century. By the 18th century the castle had an inn. To reach the castle, you can drive by car as far as the Es Verger possessió, which has been converted into a restaurant.