Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

Around Porto Santo
96
Water, Wine and Lime
Water, wine and lime were once
Porto Santo’s economic staples.
Mineral water was bottled at the
disused factory opposite the Torre
Praia Hotel access road. Quicklime
(used in mortar) made in
lime kilns like the one at the Torre
Praia was exported to Madeira
and beyond. You can still buy Listrão
Branco, the local fortified
wine, but less is made every year.
% The Seafront
The palm-lined path leading
from the centre of Vila Baleira to
the seafront is flanked by landscaped
gardens dotted with rusty
cannons. There are also memorials
to Columbus (a bust set on a pedestal),
to the 16th-century soldiers
and sailors who colonized Madeira
(an obelisk carved with abstract
figures), and to the sailors who
used to risk their lives crossing
heavy seas to keep Porto Santo
supplied with food and firewood
(a bronze statue of a sailor at the
rudder of a boat). d Map L2
Pico de Ana Ferreira ^ Porto Santo consists of a
saddle of land between two
groups of cone-shaped volcanic
The rugged coastline and azure waters of Zimbralinho
peaks. At 283 m (929 ft), the
Pico de Ana Ferreira is the highest
of the summits at the more
developed western end of the
island. A road up its southern
slopes will take you as far as the
17th-century Church of São
Pedro. From there, a track leads
around the peak to a disused
quarry featuring an interesting
formation of prismatic basalt columns
aptly known as the “Organ
Pipes”. d Map L2
Basalt structures on Pico de Ana Ferreira
Ponta da Calheta & The westernmost tip of the
island is a beautiful spot, with a
series of secluded sandy coves
reached by scrambling over
wave-eroded rocks. From the bar
and restaurant at the end of the
coast road, you can look across
to Ilhéu de Baixo, the large,
uninhabited rocky islet southwest
of Porto Santo.
Madeira, too, is visible on
the distant horizon,
resembling a huge whale,
and usually capped by
clouds. d Map K2
* Zimbralinho
Zimbralinho is the
most beautiful of all the
little rocky coves nestling
along the western flank of
the island, its transparent
blue seas popular with
swimmers and divers. The
cove is at its best around
lunchtime, as it is shaded
earlier and later in the day.
If you enjoy walking, buy the Guide to the Paths and Routes of the
Island of Porto Santo from local shops or the tourist office.