Ribeira da Janela is situated in the northern coast of the Archipelago of Madeira. This civil parish offers one the most beautiful views over the northern coast of the Madeira Island. Besides it exhibits careful and traditional construction, in a peaceful and quite environment. Today, this parish is thought to have approximately 750 inhabitants. Its […]
The São Roque do Faial parish is situated in north of Madeira Island, precisely at Santana council. The population area of the parish is 15, 9 Km2, that goes since Pico do Areeiro to the streams at Ametade and at São Roque do Faial. The temperature in this parish is nice along the year, with […]
Ribeira da Janela owes its name to the fact that, approximately 100 metres from the river mouth, a small island rises up with an opening, which looks like an open window, hence the name of the stream. It had an original chapel invoking Nossa Senhora da Encarnação, which already existed in 1558. According to a […]
The civil parish of Seixal is situated in the northern coast of the Archipelago of Madeira. It belongs to Porto Moniz municipality. Its nearest parishes are Ribeira da Janela (west), Prazeres (southwest), Canhas (southeast), Arco da Calheta (south) and Calheta (southwest). Seixal, halfway between São Vicente and Porto Moniz, has to offer rural tourism cottages […]
The lands that today make up Seixal originally belonged to the Porto Moniz civil parish, when the latter was merely the headquarters of a simple chaplaincy performing the duties of an ecclesiastic parish. Seixal, as we know it today, is very different from the way it was at that time. It has evolved from a […]
Achadas da Cruz civil parish is situated on the furthest north-western side of Madeira Island. It belongs to Porto Moniz municipality. Achadas da Cruz is a small parish, whose economic activities rely on agriculture and cattle breeding. The traditional Livestock Fair that is held annually takes place in its own precinct. This civil parish has […]
Due to its altitude, the settlement of Achadas da Cruz took a long time. However, in the 3rd quarter of the 16th century, the first settlement was established in the area. Achadas da Cruz has been the birth place of several individualities, who have remained in the history of the civil parish for one reason […]
Boaventura is one of the three parishes of São Vicente. It is situated in the northern part of Madeira Island, between Ponta Delgada and Arco de São Jorge. Boaventura civil parish has mild temperatures, ranging from 13º in Winter and 26º in Summer.This is a must-see-place for many locals and specially ofr tourists, who visit […]
To get to São Vicente from Funchal, you have to take the freeway towards Ribeira Brava. After exiting in Ribeira Brava, you have to climb up and continue the route, following the signs. You will pass by Serra de Água, and then there is a tunnel which leads to São Vicente. Exiting in São […]
Santa Luzia civil parish is located in an area of 134 hectares. It has about 7 thousand inhabitants and is characterized for being a residential are with of the most important infra-structures, namely schools, a church (Santa Luzia Church), a public garden and chemists. Santa Luzia is one of the four urban civil parishes […]
Água de Pena civil parish is situated in the eastern coast of Madeira Island, namely in the municipality of Machico. Água de Pena has about 1,800 inhabitants, who live in a total area of 508 hectares. The climate is mild, with pleasant temperatures all year round. The most important activities in this civil parish are […]
Santa Maria Maior civil parish was the birth place of Funchal city, that is, it was the first parish being created in Funchal city. This parish is situated only 3km east of the urban centre of Funchal. It is also in Santa Maria Maior that is situated the oldest street of Madeira Island, that is, […]
Santa Maria Maior was the first civil parish being created in Funchal.This parish started to developed in 1425, with the constructions of the first homes. According to historians, this civil parish owes its name to the first church – Santa maria – built in 1430. This temple, also known as Santa Maria do Calhau was […]
Câmara de Lobos is a picturesque civil parish located within a city bearing the same name. The name of this land of fishermen, which has as its main specialty the fishing of the black swordfish, was called this way due to the fact that, around the time the Island was discovered, which took place in […]
The civil parish of Água de Pena was established in 1560 and is one of the oldest and also the smallest parishes in Madeira Island. Regarding its settlement, the first settlers were connected to the family of the 1st Donee Captain of Machico. Água de Pena is associated to an event called “Água de Pena”, […]
Câmara de Lobos was the first place where João Gonçalves Zarco, the navigator who discovered the island, lived between 1420 and 1424. Due to this, it became the first settlement created in Madeira by João Gonçalves Zarco himself. Câmara de Lobos became a civil parish in 1430. The fist temple built in the island was […]
Caniçal civil parish was established in 1561. The name comes from a region abundant in small canes, a type of reeds. Due to that, the place ended up by being called Caniçal, which means plantation of reeds. With the creation of Madeira’s International Business Centre, Caniçal was chosen to welcome one of the most emblematic […]
Porto da Cruz is one of the parishes belonging to Machico municipality and is situated in the northern coast of Madeira Island. Besides, this is the lasrgest parish in area, but the smallest in density. It has about 3.500 inhabitants, in an area of 2,513 hectares. In the centre of the parish a small hill […]
The origin of the name Porto da Cruz is associated to a cross found by the navigators, between Ribeira da Manta and Ponta de São Lourenço. This name means harbour of the cross. Like in Machico, there is a legend behind the origin of this civil parish. There are also accounts that state that the […]
Monte is a small village situated up in the hills overlooking Funchal. It is just 6 km away from the capital of Madeira Island, that is, Funchal. There you can find Church of Monte. This church is the burial place of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Karl I. Every year this is the chosen location for a […]
