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Funchal |
Other opinions
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I've been twice in Funchal, before and after the flooding.
It's a nice place with attractions to all ages, but mainly visited by senior people, wiling for a calm contact with the luxurious nature. |
Cathedral
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At the end of the 15th century the architect Pêro Anes was sent by king Manuel I to plan the cathedral of Funchal, that was finished in 1514. It has a Gothic style, the roof with a Mudejar design in cedar wood. The exterior walls are made of stone from Cabo Girão. Inside there's a silver processional cross, offered by the King and considered one of the masterpieces of Manueline metalwork. |
John Paul II
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Pope John Paul II visited Madeira, for the first (and last) time in May 12th 1991. To celebrate the visit his statue was placed at the entrance of the cathedral. |
Ferreiros street
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One of the busiest streets in Funchal is also one of the oldest. With a few public buildings and some commerce, it is a nice street to walk along (and most tourists do, mixing with locals there). |
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Dr. Fernão Ornelas street
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If I had to choose a shopping area in Funchal it would be this one. At least, with a central location, it was the area where Fernanda felt more... comfortable, if you know what I mean. |
The nest of the city
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Madeira (and Funchal) are so dedicated to tourism, that many places seem... too artificial, too well composed to achieve a good look, too... touristy. The central area of town, its original quarter, gives an idea of authenticity, that helps to forget the general sensation. Don't miss! |
Municipal Square
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Town hall is located in a large square with some more interesting buildings (Colégio church, for instance) with a curious pavement, and a fountain with an obelisk, built in 1942. |
City Hall
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Town Hall, is a good example of civil architecture from the 18th century. Black stone surrounds door and windows, each one of the with a balcony in the first stage or protected by iron gratings in the ground floor. An arch leads to a nice interior yard with a marble statue. |
Regional court
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A big building in the historic centre is the palace of justice. It is not pretty but it shows the typical architecture of the dictatorship that ruled Portugal in 1962 when it was inaugurated. It's a pity, the bad integration with the local architecture that surrounds it. |
Governor's Palace
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In one of the most beautiful avenues in the centre of the city, surrounded by gardens, a hospital built in the 17th century is nowadays the palace of government, after being used also as a school. |
Farmers market
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One of the highlights in Funchal is the market, built during the dictatorship. A lively place, shows the diversity of local production, obviously with flowers in evidence. Inaugurated in 1940 in the central area of the city, it keeps playing a very important role in local distribution. There are some recent but interesting tiles. |
St João Evangelista
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Built in the 17th century, this church evidences the transition from the European Mannerist style to Portuguese Baroque. It gives a strong sensation of wealth and richness, with dense gilded decoration, large paintings and tiles contrasting with the simple external look.It is located in the centre of the city. |
S. Tiago Church
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Situated in Socorro square, this church was initially built in 1523, to pray for the end of the black plague. Remodeled in the 17th century, it was totally demolished in 1752 and rebuilt in 1768, larger and with a new concept. 
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S Tiago fort
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Built in 1614, when Portugal was ruled by a Spanish king, it suffered several modifications until 1992, when it started being used as contemporary art museum. The museum was moved to Calhetas, and the fort will reopen as an interpretation center Website: http://cultura.madeira-edu.pt/museus/Museums/MuseumofContemporaryArtFortressS%C3%A3oTiago/tabid/228/language/en-US/Default.aspx |
Beach
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There is no good beach in Funchal. A few artificial constructions allow access to the sea, but sand is something that I didn't see. A few small pebble areas are used as beaches, and the least bad may be S. Tiago, by the fort, with showers. |
Carmo church
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Located in Phelps square, built in the 17th century and successively changed in the 18th, this church shows some interesting tiles and gilded works, mainly in a Baroque altar. 
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Santa Maria quarter
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St Maria Maior is the oldest quarter of Funchal, and maybe the prettiest, dominated by the church of the same name, built in Baroque style in the 18th century. It suffered several adaptations losing almost all the original characteristics. The most important detail is the wooden door. |
Corpo Santo
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Corpo Santo chapel In the old area of Funchal, this small chapel, whose facade comes from the 15th century, has a few objects and paintings from the foundation to the 17th century.It was built by devotion of local fishermen. |
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Corpo Santo square
This is a delicious area in Funchal, in the old city, with houses remembering a small village, only with the touristy commerce calling us back to reality. There's a small old chapel with the same name, but only the facade is original |
João Fernandes Zarco
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Madeira was discovered by a navigator called João Fernandes Zarco. So, it's without any surprise that we see his statues in evidence, in the historical centre of the city. Two styles, two tastes, the same respect! 
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Pillory
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The old centre of town is marked by a pillory, sent to the island in 1468 by king Manuel I. The streets changed with time, but the pillory remained. It was being recovered from the damages of the flooding when we were there. |
Sea (Mar) avenue
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Bordering the sea, there's a large gardened avenue, where most events take place. Linking the old Saint Tiago fort to the modern port it is a nice stroll to view the old city from sea level. |
Customs building (Alfândega)
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Customs office used, for almost 500 years, a beautiful building that houses today the regional Parliament. In the middle of last century a new and larger building was constructed facing the sea, following the project of a famous Portuguese architect - João Faria da Costa. The nicest detail is a big statue, well integrated in the facade that seems conceived to protect it. |
Autonomy square
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In 1987 a statue created by the local artist Ricardo Velosa was erected close to the airport, to celebrate the autonomy. In 1990 it was transferred to the local position, right in the centre of town. |
St. Lourenço fort
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Initially built as a fortress in the 16th century, this big building was used as a defensive place but also as a palace. It was the central and decisive point in many political and military events, with a very rich history. Neglected in the beginning of last century, it was used as a base to a revolution in 1931, and, classified as a national monument in 1943 it is now used as the residence of the Minister of the Republic. |
Peace square
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A modern statue celebrating peace conceived in 1988 by Manuela Aranha, was supposed to be erected in Autonomia square, but hard polemics forced to transfer it two years later to its local place, now called "Praça da Paz (Peace)". To its initial location another statue was transferred from the access to the airport. |
Lido area
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The most touristy area of Funchal is full of hotels, and prepared to receive and feed the tourists. However, if you're not interest in rich mansions, you need to walk a couple of kilometers out of it to see something really interesting. |
Monte
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Mount palace The most famous of the many gardens in Funchal is the tropical garden of Monte palace. Property of one of the richest locals it is the base of Berardo foundation, being open to public visit a museum and the garden. Website: http://www.montepalace.com/ |
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Mount park Rivaling the wonderful private gardens in the palaces of Monte, this small park is also very beautiful. With several local and exotic plants, the main attraction is a lake with the map of the island engraved in the rocks. |
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Fountain square The centre of the area called Monte is the fountain square, a place where everybody gathers, after parking in the few slots in the area. Street souvenirs vendors surround the small fountain in marble, built as a small chapel in the 19th century. Recently the falling of a tree killed several people during local festivities |
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Virgin chapel Once upon a time there was a fountain that gave name to the square - Largo da Fonte. One day, in 1896, a big tree felt and destroyed it. In location people decided to build immediately a tiny chapel dedicated to the Holy Virgin, "baptized" "Fonte da Virgem". Despite its modesty, it is a very respected place to locals. |
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Basket sliding One of the highlights in Funchal is the descent from Monte to the centre, in a sliding basket controlled by two men. The speed is high in some places, but the descent is safe, though some turnings demand great effort from the men. It is not cheap, but people don't care, and continuously we see a truck unloading the baskets collected at the end, to enter the line. |
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Monte church A Baroque church from the 18th century, with a long staircase, is a good sightseeing point over the bay. It has some interesting golden pieces, and the tomb of Charles Habsburg, emperor of Austria, dead in Madeira during the exile. Nearby is the starting point to the sliding baskets. |
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Charles Habsburg He was the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Hungary, the last King of Bohemia and Croatia, the last King of Galicia and Lodomeria and the last monarch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was Charles I as Emperor of Austria and Charles IV as King of Hungary from 1916 until 1918. Failing to restore the monarchy, he was exiled in Madeira in 1921, where he died a few months later. Buried in Monte church, he deserved the beatification by the Catholic Church. His statue stands in front of the church. |
Barcelos peek
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One of the best sightseeing points in Funchal is Pico de Barcelos. ocated 355 meters above sea level I think that it is not served by public transport, so, unless you are a good climber a taxi (or tour) will be needed. |
Pico do Areeiro
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It's a mandatory trip, the visit of one of the highest peaks in Madeira. Only a few minutes driving from Funchal, the views are gorgeous, generally with clouds at our feet. Down there, in a deep and squeezed valley, Curral das Freiras is the most remote village in the island. |
Flowers
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Madeira is for a long time managed to tourism, betting in a good image of the island. Flowers are an easy and useful detail to embellish it, and the island display many gardens with great quality. Even in the wild, we may see flowers everywhere, some of theme endemic, and some other so extensively displayed that, I think, there were human hands helping nature. Good taste, of course. I've never been there in May for the festivities of flowers, but the references are great. |
Curral das Freiras
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I've been in the war, in Angola, where I met a soldier, so primitive that he got sick anytime we forced him to take a bath (true!). He was from Madeira, and the first time he saw the sea, was when he went to Funchal to join the army. Of course, the army provided him his first bed. Unbelievable, isn't it? No! In a short drive from Funchal it´s possible to imagine the enclosure of many people, and their life constraints. Curral das Freiras is the best example, and... my God... with a breathtaking landscape. |