Madeira is the main island of a small Portuguese archipelago located 32 degrees north latitude in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers southwest of Lisbon. With a total area of 796 square kilometers is in the capital city of Funchal. Its formation is still unknown. It is believed that emerged after a series of volcanic eruptions that occurred during the Tertiary, but their volcanic origin has not been convincingly shown. When science finds no response, increasing the fable that says that is just not a piece of the legendary submerged continent of Lemuria.

A series of volcanoes Tristão line between the west and São Lourenço, in the east, forming a chain of mountains whose altitude bristling at their ends only falls below 1200 m. Looks like a huge iceberg of 8000 meters, of which only 1,800 last stand above sea level.

Climate:
The island enjoys a very temperate climate. The rainfall regime is typically Mediterranean. The rain falls mainly in autumn and spring in the form of large storms, while the summer is very dry. The climate in Madeira is changing. To rise, we can find suddenly enveloped in fog or totally wet.

Visiting the island:
Except for organized cruises or private yachts, the only way to get to Madeira is by air. To move it we can use the bus service, an unbeatable way to meet its people and its landscape. At the airport of Santa Caterina is also possible to rent cars for a reasonable price. If you wish to visit other islands, a ferry connects the island of Porto Santo daily. Leaves at early morning and returns at nine in the evening. The trip takes three hours, and tickets can be purchased at the port.

Street Corpo Santo, is the porch of the old quarter. It combines a multitude of restaurants shops and weaving straw hats. At the end of this summer, the strength of Santiago, of the sixteenth century, a museum of contemporary art.

Missed is the Museo Quinta das Cruces. It can be seen sepulchral slabs, windows Manueline several coats of arms and enjoy a stroll through your beautiful garden. It is also advisable to visit the village of Blandy’s Garden, on the outskirts of Funchal, surrounded by lush vegetation.
Inside the villa you can admire an interesting collection of lithographs that show what life was like an island in the nineteenth century.

It is also interesting to visit the village of Monte, holiday area par excellence to 40 years and where he lived and died the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, buried in the church of Our lady do Monte.

If the visitor wants to make a purchase can go through the A Dega of Sao Francisco in Funchal Avenida Arriaga, where you can buy all the wines of the island and conduct tastings. Near the harbor is the Casa do Turista, a shop-museum, which displays all the interesting crafts of the island.

The land route to the interior continues to surprise the visitors by its uniqueness and beauty. If the trip west on Mountain Road is reached Santana, a little village that owes its unique tourist attraction with its small houses painted in bright colors triangular. To the east is a fascinating journey, the road to Porto Moniz, which crosses 19 miles of tunnels and waterfalls.

One of its main attractions are swimming in natural pools of lava. To the north of the island passing through the picturesque village of House of Wolves. Dominating the town is the Cape Gira, 580 meters, considered the second highest in the world. After passing the Ribeira Brava we go deep in the country, climbing the Serra de Agua the picture is amazing. Here the mountains are dotted with villages and a wealth of landscape is spectacular.

Once drawn the backbone of the island to reach the town of San Vicente, with picturesque caves of volcanic origin. Must to visit is the parish church, where you can show how cool it was his appearance in the seventeenth century.

Very fascinating to visit this island in Portugal!