Municipality
Ariany
Photo: Malopez 21 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · cropped
Ariany is the youngest municipality in Mallorca: it separated from Petra in 1982 and was the last in the Pla —and on the island— to gain its own council. It is a small, agricultural village with a single settlement, located in the central-eastern part of the plain, between Petra, Maria de la Salut, Sineu, and Santa Margalida. For those seeking housing, it is one of the cheapest places in Mallorca, with village houses and dry land fincas and very little published offer.
The municipality is flat and dry, dedicated to cereals, almond trees, and carob trees. The village is compact and has not seen significant recent growth, centred around the carrer Major and the square. Its modern history is one of independence that took three attempts: before the definitive separation from Petra in 1982, there were two attempts, in 1925 and in 1949.
The building that identifies it is the parish church of Nostra Senyora d'Atocha. According to the history published by the council itself, the Marquis of Ariany funded a new temple, completed in 1737, with a replica of the image of the Virgin of Atocha from Madrid, which replaced the previous devotion, that of the Snows.
There is a single settlement. The town centre includes the village house between party walls and the few services of the municipality; on the outskirts, there are some single-family homes with plots. The rest of the municipality is rural, with country houses and dry land fincas.
There is no coast. The beaches of the bay of Alcúdia are a short journey away via Santa Margalida. Inland, the landscape is flat, with rural paths and very little traffic, suitable for cycling and walking. The cultural life is that of the village and its calendar of festivities; the council maintains a catalogue of elements of artistic, historical, environmental, and architectural interest in the municipality.
Ariany is connected by road to Petra, Maria de la Salut, Sineu, and Santa Margalida. It does not have a train station: the nearest are in Petra and Sineu, just a few minutes by car. The bus links the municipality with Maria de la Salut and Sineu. A car is essential.
Village house between party walls, with a patio and, in much of the stock, a need for substantial renovation; some single-family homes with plots on the outskirts; and dry land fincas with a house or shed in the countryside. New builds are virtually non-existent. In rural areas, the general limitations of Mallorca apply, and there are many old constructions without clear urban planning status: verifying it before purchase is essential, as is checking water and electricity.
It is one of the smallest markets on the island: there can be whole seasons without anything published, and when something does come up, it is usually a village house or a finca. The demand is local and regional, with some buyers from outside looking for a good price. Long-term residential rental is almost non-existent. Tourist rentals are subject to regulations that have changed several times and are restrictive in rural areas: it is advisable to confirm for the specific property, and not to rely on it in a municipality without its own tourist demand.
It suits those looking for the lowest price in the interior of Mallorca and who do not need services nearby, as well as those wanting a finca in the plain with the northern coast relatively close. It is advisable to consider the minimum services, the total dependence on a car, the absence of the sea and train, the cost of renovating the old house, the urban planning status of what is built in rural areas, and a supply so scarce that it forces one to wait.