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The "Levadas" and other Funchal, Portugal Off The Beaten Path Tips

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Home » Europe » Portugal » Região Autónoma da Madeira » Funchal » salinhopt's Funchal Page » The "Levadas" and other Funchal, Portugal Off The Beaten Path Tips

Funchal Off the Beaten Path Tips by salinhopt

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salinhopt    
Visiting Ostergotland in Sweden! Next Stockholm! :)


Real Name: Goncalo
Lives In: Funchal, PT
Member Since: Jul 18, 2003
VT Rank: 303

 
Tips 1 - 10 of 16
Funchal Off The Beaten Path
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Off The Beaten Path: The "Levadas"
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  • Written by salinhopt on Jul 23, 2003
  • Funchal Travel Guide
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  • In addition to the natural beauties of Madeira, the region offers a man-made wonder in the shape of the traditional irrigation system of Levadas. These are ideal for the walker.

    The Levadas represent living testimony to our ancestors’ efforts to bring fertility to the steep mountainsides and valleys by diverting the abundant sources of water that would otherwise cascade uselessly from the mountaintops. These Levadas represent the arteries in a vast circulation system that permitted the otherwise arid soil to be actively cultivated and people to settle up in the island’s highest regions.
    Normally cut trench wise into the ground, the Levadas have also been cut directly into living rock, and built over rocky clefts or sheer precipices hundreds of metres deep. Others delve under mountains by means of tunnels hundreds of metres long. They cover the island from north to south with an extension of 100 km (62 miles).
    Tracing the route of these Levadas on foot allows walkers to enjoy the very best island views, to recharge their batteries through contact with nature, and at the same time to contemplate the links between Man and Nature, and his efforts to tame its forces.

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    Off The Beaten Path: Pico dos Barcelos
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  • Updated by salinhopt on Dec 5, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Pico dos Barcelos
  • Funchal - Pico dos Barcelos
  • by salinhopt
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  • Fabulous view all over Funchal! To get there get the number 4 in the yellow buses city center. It is possible to see 3 main Funchal areas from here: Sao Martinho, Santo Antonio and the Se by the sea

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    Off The Beaten Path: The stone beaches
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  • Updated by salinhopt on Dec 5, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Santiago beach
  • Funchal - Santiago beach
  • by salinhopt
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  • Get the experiencience of Madeira stone beaches! You'll find this small beach at Zona Velha or Old Town next to Forte de Santiago. Enjoy the sun and after visit the Museum at the fort. Enjoy!

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    Off The Beaten Path: Doca do Cavacas
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  • Written by salinhopt on Aug 3, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Doca do Cavacas
  • Funchal - Doca do Cavacas
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  • If you want nice vulcanic pools with a cheap fish restaurant then this is the place. Enjoy the sun and for lunch or dinner try the Doca do Cavacas resturant. Great!

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    Off The Beaten Path: Quinta das Cruzes museum
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 9, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Quinta das Cruzes museum
  • Funchal - Quinta das Cruzes museum
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  • Quinta da Cruzes museum collection includes Portuguese and foreign furniture from the 16th to 19th centuries. Porcelain from the Portuguese East India Company and from Europe. Portuguese painted dishware from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Indo-Portuguese and European ivory objects. Flemish and Portuguese sculpture from the 15th to the 18th century. Nativity scenes or cribs from the 18th and 19th centuries and paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries.

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    Phone: 291 740670
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    Off The Beaten Path: Sao Martinho
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 9, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Sao Martinho old church
  • Funchal - Sao Martinho old church
  • by salinhopt
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  • Sao Martinho is a northern Funchal parish.
    It's worth the visit to Sao Martinho old church and new church also. The gardens are well kept. It's a great place to relax and enjoy Funchal landscape.

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    Off The Beaten Path: The Old Town
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 9, 2003
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  • The old neighbourhood of Santa Maria is where the settlement of the island started more than five centuries ago, in the area today known as the Old Town. Its narrow streets are paved with cobblestones and lined with the ancient facades of the picturesque houses.

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    Off The Beaten Path: Corpo Santo Chapel
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 9, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Corpo santo Chapel
  • Funchal - Corpo santo Chapel
  • by salinhopt
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  • Fishermen built this chapel between the 15th and 17th centuries. It is still maintained by the fishing community, which reveres St Pedro Goncalves Telmo, the patron saint of fishermen.

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    Other Contact: At Old Town
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    Off The Beaten Path: Farmers Market tiles
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 25, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Farmers Market tiles
  • Funchal - Farmers Market tiles
  • by salinhopt
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  • This is a centre point for the town. It typifies the architectural period known as the New State (Estado Novo). The facade has a panel of tiles in a semi-circle, two tiled panels at the main entrance and several others in the section devoted to fish.

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    Off The Beaten Path: Babosas
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  • Written by salinhopt on Nov 25, 2003
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  • Funchal - Funchal - Babosas Chapel
  • Funchal - Babosas Chapel
  • by salinhopt
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  • Wander through the gardens to the Babosas panoramic view point stopping along the way at the famous Monte church where the last Austrian-Hungarian emperor, Karl I lies buried. His name is intimately linked to the neighbourhood, because he lived for a number of years at Monte Villa (Quinta do Monte).

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    More Funchal Tips

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    Comments for salinhopt about Funchal
    Maurizioago Wed Feb 14, 2007 09:53 UTC
     Good page. I'm going there next june. Ciao!
    Vincedem Sun Sep 3, 2006 13:07 UTC
     Nice page with good tips about a very relaxed place... good memories! Greets from Belgium, Vince
    dabidc Mon May 2, 2005 22:40 UTC
     Goncalo, you have excelled yourself, so much to see, to do and wonderful photos with detailed info on life in Madeira both today and in the past. Truly remarkable. I wish I was there now.
    THLIN Sat Nov 6, 2004 10:27 UTC
     Wow What a great place to visit... Nice page
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