“The pearl of the Atlantic”

Known about by the Portuguese navigators Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira in 1419, Madeira is composed by the Madeira islands and Porto Santo and two groups of small uninhabited islands, of inhospitable nature: the Ilhas Desertas (Desert Islands) and the Ilhas Selvagens (Wild Islands) – nature reserve since 1995 and 1971 respectively, they are real sanctuaries of seabirds and one of the last refuge of the monk seal.

Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 1000 Km southwest of Lisbon and 800 Km to the coast of Africa, these islands have an exceptional climate: spring temperatures during all year.  With an unequal natural beauty along with a history and secular traditions, Madeira is one of the oldest and traditional European tourist destinations, a favourite refuge for rest and leisure.

At first sight, from the sea, Madeira seems like a pearl of luxuriant nature, a landscape of surpassing beauty down the rough slope of the mountains to the valley in a vertiginous way and by the dense exotic vegetation of the terraces, cut through by deep cliffs and typical houses.

Madeira is impressive for the variety of its sceneries – cliffs dropping sharply into the sea, natural swimming-pools emerging from the rocks, mountains and hidden valleys among the fog, emerald green and flowered hills, water-courses (typical from the region) and paths that wound the island, showing all the beauty from the groves, ravines and water falls... 

“Jardim Flutuante do Atlântico” (Atlantic Floating Garden), Madeira is always filled with flowers, a garden of the world full of orchids and birds of paradise, fuchsia and anthurium, lilies and dahlias, magnolias and bromeliads... a wide traditional and exotic flowers within a great sort of plants of multiple colors and shapes and large-scale trees as the Dragon-tree, the Til tree, the Sweet bay or the Palm tree...

Also known as “Ilha Dourada” (Golden Island), Porto Santo is very different from Madeira.  We do not find the luxuriant green, but the yellow and brown dry colours that give a charm almost wild, a rare beauty from its 9 Km of sandy beach bathed by a deep blue and delicious calm sea, well known by its therapeutic purposes.

Madeira is not only dazzling because of its landscape and the inebriating perfume of its flowers, but also, and especially, because of the hospitality, the natives’ kindness, the welcoming and pleasant people that have a quiet happy way of living. 

500 years of cultural inheritance...a rich culture in many ways, revived in each church, museum or monument, always present in its traditions, handicraft, tapestries and towels embroidered by strong and dedicated hands, wooden works by persistent artisans, secular and aromatic flavor wines.

Smooth white wines and strong red wines suit perfectly with the typical specialities of the region – fish, meat, deserts – dishes as the black scabbard fish fillets, tuna steak or tuna in vinegar, the famous skewers (one of the most original local plates, with small pieces of flavoured meat roasted on a laurel spit in burning coal) served with fried corn, home-made bread with sweet potato or caco’s cake, a typical wheat flour bread, baked in a basalt stone and should be eaten hot.  As the final touch of the meal, the desserts, as sweet as they can be like the honey cake (made with the cane-of-sugar’s molasses), sweet bread made of haize and honey, the cheesecakes, the sonhos, the candies made of funcho, and a good generous wine, the Madeira wine, of course!
 

Festivals
Carnaval Festival, February
Flower Festival, April
Atlantic Festival, Funchal, June
Wine Festival, Funchal and Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, September
Music Band Regional Meeting, Vila da Ribeira Brava, October
New Year’s Party, December