Madeira Laurel Forest - UNESCO World Natural Heritage

The Madeira wine institute, with the Madeira wine museum inside it, is in a small neoclassic urban palace from the 19th century. The wine museum had its opening in 1984 and since then it shows pictures and machinery used on the vineyards and Madeira wine production. What is best is that the visitants of this museum can taste the different types of Madeira Wine.

The Madeira Wine Institute is located on Rua 5 de Outubro, just behind Funchal's courthouse and its museum is only open on weekdays, from Monday to Friday.

The main church of São Vicente's council, right in the center of the village with the same name, is dedicated to Saint Vincent and was built in the 17th century. Inside this church one may admire the beautiful ceiling painting of Saint Vincent blessing the village and the main altar made with amazing golden carving.

On the westernmost tip of Madeira Island, standing at 290 meters of altitude, just above the rocky cliffs, there is a lighthouse. This square tower top flashing light dominates the surround cliffs and sea. The white, crystal directional rotating optic spotlight is 312 meters high which may be difficult to see from land on a cloudy day though its flash can be seen above water on a 26 miles range. The Ponta do Pargo lighthouse is established since 1922 and worth a visit not only for its amazing landscape around but also for the history it keeps.

Photo by: Catarina Fagundes

João Gonçalves Zarco was one of the discoverers of Madeira, among with Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Dias. He was the captain that ordered by Henry The Navigator went on the expedition that discovered Porto Santo Island in 1418 and Madeira Island in 1419. As a reward for this Prince Henry nominated him the first donee captain of Funchal.

To celebrate the five hundred years since Madeira discovery, in June 1918 the Municipality of that epoch order the sculptor Francisco Franco a monument in honour of João Gonçalves Zarco. It took 10 years to finish this statue and in 1929 it took part of an International Exhibition in Seville, Spain.

Photo by Catarina Fagundes

On the 28th of May of 1934 this monument was inaugurated and put in the centre of Funchal city, on the entrance of the city, for those who came by ship. With the conception of this statue Francisco Franco has launched a new era of sculptures in Portugal, where one can observe heroic figures that belong to history. It was called the Golden Age of Sculpture.