On Varadouros square there is a reconstruction of Funchal old wall gate, which once formed part of the city defences. This gate, constructed in 1689 when Lourenço de Almeida was governor, gave direct access to the beach landing docks existing at that time, where today stand the sea front avenue (Avenida do Mar).

In May of 1911 it was demolished as well as an important part of the old defence walls, no longer used for military purposes, to adjust the city’s downtown traffic.

In September 2004 Funchal council has decided to build a replica of what the City gate was, using concrete covered with ashlar. Above it are placed some of the original pieces that were kept in Quinta das Cruzes Museum, like the crown, the royal arms and the inscribed stone.

Photo by: Catarina Fagundes

Between the rivers streams of Caixa and Ponta do Sol there is a mountain-ridge that lay from the sea to the high mountains called Lombada. These lands once belonged to one of the suns of João Gonçalves Zarco, one of the discoverers of Madeira though in 1498 this large property was bought by a Flemish lord, João Esmeraldo, who was a friend of Christopher Columbus. By that time the culture of sugar cane dominated those lands and by beginnings of the 16th century there were about 80 slaves of different races working on them.

With the earnings of the large productions of sugar, João Esmeraldo constructed the most important manor house of Madeira’s rural area and also a chapel which was consecrated to the Holy Ghost in 1508.

After a long period of degradation, the manor house was recovered and works now as a school. The actual chapel is no longer the first constructed, it was enlarged in the 18th century and its decoration was changed.

Photos by: Catarina Fagundes

In Santana, Rocha do Navio is like a terrace near the sea, covered with vineyards, declared Nature Reserve by the Madeira Natural Park. Associated to this small portion of land there is an islet which seems like a big rock that once felt from the high cliffs that surround it. To get down there, one may choose to go by a steep cable car (more like an elevator) or walk through a path that will take about 30 minutes to go down and 1 hour to come up. Besides these difficult accesses, one may admire how Madeira people get the best of all portions of terrain for agriculture.

In 1860, on the 24th of December, a dutch ship has shipwrecked near the islet of this place. Its 7 crew members managed to save themselves and walk up the steep path to find some help, which was given by the first persons they found. Since then, this Santana islet and the small terrace near to it is known by the Ship’s Rock – Rocha do Navio.

Photos by Catarina Fagundes

The 4 streets of the Cathedral’s upper side blocks, in Funchal, are nowadays called:
Aljube – in memory of the ecclesiastic prison that has worked on the Cathedral’s tower;

Queimada de Baixo and Queimada de Cima – (queimada means burned) due to a big fire on the block limited by those two roads, in 1594 that hás destroied more than hundred houses and warehouses, some of which were among the most important houses in the island during that epoch;

Photos by Catarina Fagundes

Bispo – (meaning bishop) to remember the building where once was the Bishop’s residence and today is the Religious Art Museum (left on the photo).

Porto Santo is not far from Madeira though the two islands are completely different. While Madeira is generally green with a rocky and steep coast line, Porto Santo has a golden colour due to its 9 km sandy beach.

Porto Santo, which means ‘Holy Port’ in English, was the first island of Madeira’s archipelago to be discovered, when the Portuguese navigators João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira took shelter from a storm, in 1418.

Only one year later they have faced their fear and sailed to that large cloud they always saw on the of Porto Santo Island, and that way they discovered Madeira.

Photos by Catarina Fagundes