Antonio Parietti was the creator of art road masterpieces

# Antonio Parietti Coll: Mallorca's Road-Building Legend

Antonio Parietti Coll was a Spanish road engineer who became something of a local legend in 20th-century Mallorca. Born in Palma in 1899 and passing away there in 1979, this Italian-Mallorcan hybrid (son of an Italian father and Mallorcan mother) studied civil engineering in Madrid before returning to reshape his island's infrastructure.

Back in the 1920s and 30s, Mallorca was basically untouched paradise—perfect tourism material if only people could actually *reach* the good stuff. That's where Parietti came in. As part of a broader modernization effort, he personally oversaw two legendary road projects through the Serra de Tramuntana mountains: the 1925 route to Formentor (which enabled Adam Diehl to build his iconic hotel) and the jaw-dropping 1933 road to Sa Calobra.

Here's the thing—these weren't practical connections between towns. They were pure tourism plays, designed to open up two absolutely stunning natural spots that have become famous *because* of these roads. Pretty genius, really.

The **Sa Calobra road** is the real showstopper. Prepare yourself for scenery that'll make your jaw drop and driving that's genuinely hair-raising. The famous Nus de sa Corbata section features a wild 270-degree hairpin turn, and there's this insanely narrow passage squeezed between two towering rock faces that'll have your heart in your throat.

The **Formentor route** is equally impressive, with a stunning viewpoint called Mirador de Sa Creueta (El Colomer) where a monument honoring Parietti was erected in 1968.

These days, with our stricter environmental protections, getting permission to build roads like this would be nearly impossible. But without Parietti's vision and determination, Sa Calobra and Formentor wouldn't be the bucket-list destinations they are today. That's legacy.