Walking to Discover Traditional Santana Houses (Santana – Madeira), Hiking, Trekking, Walking Trails, Tracks, Pedestrian Routes, Portugal

Caminhada à Descoberta das Casas de Colmo de Santana (Santana)

Being in the county of Santana, we must visit the picturesque thatch roof houses, the most representative icons of this region, whose photographs are scattered around the world.
This tourist attraction of Madeira Island is also known as “Casinhas de Santana” (Traditional Santana Houses) and its characteristic triangular shape with thatched roof arouses the curiosity of all who visit Sítio do Serrado, next to Santana Town Hall.
We parked near the Mother Church and headed towards the Traditional Houses. We were a bit disappointed on arrival as we set the expectation of finding a different, more genuine and less touristy place. But we realize that it’s a space of preservation of a local heritage that we would hardly find otherwise or in another context.

An area of preservation of a local heritage.

These houses originally found throughout the island were, in their primitive constructions, constituted by habitacional zone in the ground floor and an attic to store agricultural products.
Today, adapted to modern times, they function as a Tourist Office and a small commerce where it is possible to purchase some regional products.

As we walked through the garden, we noticed that on the other side of the road there were a few local stalls where the crops of the region were displayed. Vegetables and fruits looking delicious were arranged in rudimentary tables filled with what the earth gives us.

We bought some delicious “bananas-maçã” (apple-bananas), fruit that we didn’t know yet and we took the opportunity to taste. Smaller and “fatter” than traditional bananas, they are equally tasty and give us enough energy to end the day with another walk. We continue to Ribeiro Frio where the “PR11 – Vereda dos Balcões” began.