Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Nossa Senhora da
Piedade
To the east of the main
square in Vila Baleira
stands the majestic par-
ish church, Nossa Sen-
hora da Piedade,
completed in 1446.
Gothic rib-vaulting and
rainwater spouts carved
with human and animal
heads have survived
from this earlier church,
which was torched by
pirates, then rebuilt in
1667. The 17th-century altar
painting of Christ being laid in
his tomb is by Martím Conrado.
The saints on either side were
painted in 1945 by German artist
Max Romer
(see p13)
.
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Map L2
$
Casa Museu Cristóvão
The old town of Vila Baleira, capital of Porto Santo
!
The Beach
On top of Porto Santo's vol-
canic rocks, limestone, sand-
stone and coral were laid down
millions of years ago, beneath a
warm, shallow sea. Falling sea
levels exposed the coral to ero-
sion, and the result is the mag-
nificent 10-km (6-mile) sweep of
sand that runs along the south-
ern side of the island. Backed by
dunes and tamarisk trees, the
beach is clean, wild and undevel-
oped, but bathers are never far
from a beachside café. Enjoying
the beach may have therapeutic
benefits: burying yourself in the
sand is said to bring relief from
rheumatism and arthritis.
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Map L2
@
Vila Baleira
Colombo
Christopher Columbus (1451-
1506) came to Madeira in 1478
as the agent for a Lisbon sugar
merchant. Here he met and mar-
ried Filipa Moniz, daughter of the
governor of Porto Santo. Their
son was born in 1479, but Filipa
died soon after the birth, and
Columbus left the islands in
1480. The house where he and
Filipa are said to have lived is
now a museum, displaying por-
traits of Columbus, maps of his
voyages and models of his ves-
sels.
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Rua Cristóvão Colombo 12 •
Map L2 • 291 983 405 • Open 10am-6pm
Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat & Sun • Free
All life on the island centres
on the capital, which sits roughly
halfway along the southern
coast. Pavement cafés fill the
main square, Largo do Pelourin-
ho (“Pillory Square”), where
offenders were once punished
and public proclamations read
out. The town hall, with its dou-
ble staircase flanked by dragon
trees, now stands on the site of
the pillory. The cobbled pave-
ment in front has a glass-topped,
stone-lined pit, which was once
used for storing grain.
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Map L2
Casa Museu Cristóvão Colombo
For details of flights and ferries to Port Santo
See p103
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