Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

Around Central Madeira
78
Old sugar mill, Porto da Cruz
Best of the Rest
! Terreiro da Luta
Pious Madeirans believe that
the Virgin appeared to a young
shepherd girl on this spot and
gave her the statue now in
Monte church. The present
memorial was erected after German
U-boats attacked ships in
Funchal Harbour in 1916; the Virgin’s
help was sought and the
bombardment stopped. d Map H5
@ Queimadas
From western Santana, a road
signposted to “Queimadas” gives
way to a track leading to a house
with gardens, ponds and picnic
tables deep in the green-wooded
heart of the UNESCO World Natural
Heritage forest. d Map H3
£ Caldeirão Verde
From Queimadas, take a
scenic levada walk to the “Green
Cauldron”, a waterfall cascading
down a rock hollow. Sturdy footwear,
torches (flashlights) and
waterproofs essential. d Map G3
$ Ponta Delgada
At Ponta Delgada’s church,
see the miraculous statue, found
floating at sea in the 16th century.
When the church burned down in
1908, it was found charred but
intact in the embers. d Map F2
% Boaventura
Boaventura makes a great
base for exploring the orchards
watered by the Levada de Cima.
Make sure to take a good walking
guide (see p50). d Map G2
São Jorge ^ São Jorge has a Baroque
church from 1761. A 19th-century
lighthouse sits on Ponta de São
Jorge, with views of the coast. A
side road east of the village
leads to a small, sheltered beach
(see p46). d Map H2
& Faial
The Fortím do Faial is a toytown
fort built in the 18th century
to fend off pirates. South of
the village are views of Penha de
Águia and the newly formed rock
platform (fajã) where part of the
cliff fell into the sea. d Map J3
* Penha de Águia
“Eagle Rock” rises 590 m
(180 ft) from the sea, casting its
shadow over neighbouring villages.
Young Madeirans regard the
climb from Penha de Águia de
Baixo to the top as a test of
strength and endurance. d Map J3
( São Roque de Faial
Several valleys meet at São
Roque, so walkers can start at
the church and choose one of
the paths that go west up the
Ribeiro Frio (“Cold River”) or east
up the Tem-te Não Caias (literally,
“Hold on; don’t fall”). d Map J3
) Porto da Cruz
The Old Town is a maze of
cobbled alleys and old wine
warehouses. A sugar mill stands
by the harbour, where visitors
can buy the aged, locally distilled
spirit aguardente. d Map J3