Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
meeting-point of several
ancient cobbled foot-
paths, which climb up
the cliffs to either side.
In the village itself, a
maze of alleys winds
down to a pebble beach,
where surfing competi-
tions are held during the
winter months. A new
seafront road and a large
sea-wall were completed
in 2004; opinions vary as
to how this has affected
the quality of the surfing here.
d
Map B4 • Rodoeste bus 142
*
Calheta
Lighthouse, Ponta do Pargo
^
Ponta do Pargo
Madeira's westernmost point,
Ponta do Pargo is the best place
on the island to watch the setting
sun or to gaze down at the waves
breaking along the tall cliffs of the
island's southern and western
coasts. The lighthouse on the
headland (built in 1896) has a
small exhibition of maps and pho-
tographs charting the history of
lighthouses on every island in the
Madeiran archipelago. The ceiling
of the parish church is covered
with colourful paintings of sun-
sets, terraced hills, and the scenic
spots of the western part of the
island, all painted in the 1990s by
a Belgian artist who has settled in
the village.
d
Map A2 • Rodoeste
buses 107 and 142
Calheta's fine parish church,
a scaled-down version of Funchal
cathedral
(see pp8-9)
, stands on
a terrace halfway up the hill
leading west out of the village. It
has a precious 16th-century
ebony-and-silver tabernacle, and
a richly decorated knotwork
ceiling above the high altar. Next
door to the church is the
Engenho da Calheta, one of
Madeira's two surviving sugar
mills; the other is in Porto da
Cruz
(see p78)
. As well as
producing
mel
(honey), used in
making the island's unique
bolo
de mel
(honey cake), the mill
also makes
aguardente
(rum)
from distilled cane syrup.
d
Map
B4 • Rodoeste bus 142 • Calheta Church:
open 10am-1pm, 4-6pm daily • Engenho
da Calheta: 291 822 264. Open 9am-7pm
Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat-Sun
&
Jardim do Mar
This pretty village (literally,
“Garden of the Sea”) sits at the
Sugar Revival
The sugar mills at Calheta and
Porto da Cruz date from the sugar
renaissance of the 19th century,
when the demand for high-quality
sugar rose dramatically, thanks to
the popularity of sweetmeats in
genteel European households.
The nuns of Santa Clara
(see p16)
were especially renowned for
their preserves, marzipan sweets,
crystallized figs and other delights.
(
Paúl da Serra
The undulating plateau of
Paúl da Serra (“Mountain
Marsh”) is the gathering point
for the waters that feed many of
the island's rivers and
levadas
. It
serves as a sponge for the
abundant rains which fall when
clouds reach the island, rise,
then cool. Free-range horned
82
