Situated at the bottom of a volcano’s crater, the Nun’s Valley has its only communication with the parish of Santo António.

These lands were once owned by the land’s captain João Gonçalves da Câmara who left it for their daughters, sisters of Santa Clara Convent endowed by him. In 1566, when corsairs attacked Madeira, these sisters run away to their lands and only came back when they were sure that pirates were gone.

The high cliffs are an excellent habitat for some rare vegetation where different types of green mix with the brownish rocks or, on the right season, with the brown of the sweet chestnuts trees. Actually this fruit is so abundant here that local people usually substitute the potatoes by sweet chestnuts on their cuisine.

Curral das Freiras is the only part in Madeira Island where one can not see the blue of Madeira sea.