Our Islands
From this Thursday (June 1st) will again be flying the Blue Flag, and will also be showing the gold quality beach award, granted by Quercus. The event is to take place at 12h30 in the swimming pools.
Considered by many the ex-libris of Madeira, on a par with the Santana houses, the Porto Moniz swimming pools recently underwent maintenance works, and are now ready to receive the thousands who visit them during the summer.
Water quality is excellent, and the infrastructure is first class.
Environmental protection association Quercus has attributed 19 gold awards to beaches in seven of its eleven councils.
Porto Santo was given the most – seven out of nineteen, but four councils in Madeira got none: Calheta, Câmara de Lobos, São Vicente and Ribeira Brava.
The list of beaches awarded gold certificates is as follows:
Porto Santo: Cabeço da Ponta, Calheta, Fontinha, Lagoa, Penedo, Ribeiro Cochinho and Ribeiro Salgado.
Funchal: Areeiro, Ponta Gorda/Poças do governador, Formosa, Praia Nova and Lido.
Porto Moniz: Porto Moniz and Praia da Laje.
Santa Cruz: Palmeiras and Garajau.
Ponta do Sol: Madalena do Mar.
Machico: Ribeira do Natal.
Santana: Ribeira do Faial.
Enjoy the summer by bathing in these beaches, and enjoy the “gold” quality, certified by Quercus.
Funchal Mayor Paulo Cafofo visited the Pico dos Barcelos community centre, in Santo Antonio, where one prepares the popular saints’ month. In this June the seven community centres managed by the council enterprise Sociohabita Funchal will again be involved in these activities designed to appeal to its many users. Paulo Cafofo considers that the popular marches “are a regional attraction, by the great local acceptance, and by what they mean for the various parishes”.
The community centres run by the council have 170 people involved in the twenty popular marches sorties, an event that will make history in this 509 years old city.
This year’s edition of the medieval market, taking place in Machico, had one of its highlights on Monday.
An exhibit dedicated to the Museu da Marinha was opened in the Forum Machico, and will be visitable until next June 4th, the closure of the event, this year dedicated to shipbuilding.
The exhibit boasts naval instruments, and tells the story of navigation instruments, also highlighting three important aspects of this Lisbon museum: the replica of the 1500’s caravel, various wooden navigation instruments and the model of the prize taken by the Portuguese navy during World War 1 named Machico.
This model is part of the permanent exhibit of the Museu de Marinha and was kindly lent to the exhibit to be part of the event dragging thousands to Machico every year.
The opening was made by the Machico mayor, Ricardo Franco, with the presence of the commander of the Zona Maritima da Madeira, captain Sousa Pereira, and councilman Miguel Gouveia, representing the Funchal council, besides the commission that organizes the medieval market.
To read the city of Funchal for eleven days. This is the proposal advanced by the Funchal city council, starting Thursday May 26th, till coming June 4th.
It’s eleven days in which one can walk amongst books, music, writers and editors, and even antiquaries that may have that very book you have been searching for so long.
This is the time in which Funchal is to be seen as an open book, written by those who walk past the stalls wanting to complete series, for those who want to see books’ presentations, or any other of the many reasons devised by the council to get you to Avenida Arriaga these coming days. Starting at 18h00, this Thursday.
The atrium of the Funchal council has since yesterday a giant mock up of the city, a true x-ray of the city in its entirety. An imposing instrument, according to Funchal mayor, Paulo Cafofo, who accompanied its setup, adding that it should be seen “as a privileged instrument for the understanding of the territory of the city, both for its residents and its visitors”.
The mock up has been used, until now, as an instrument of the Gabinete da Cidade (city office), led by architect Paulo David, as he explained it: “It is an x-ray of the city, which was initially made to allow us to understand what the city really was and in what shape it was. It has been a fundamental document for the perception of human settlement on the territory, and a starting point for all our action”.
The mock up is set up in the council building, for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The Funchal council has activated the “Carrega-te” programme, allowing any person to load up electronic appliances in five spots of the island capital, including bus stops.
The project was one of the winners of the first edition of the Participating Budget of Funchal, and the goal is to setup photovoltaic panels in city bus stops, using the resulting electricity to load up cell phones, tablets and other electronic equipment.
The units can be found in Avenida do Mar (south and north), Praça de Colombo, praça do Carmo and rua Dr Brito Camara.
The viewpoint at the mouth of Ribeira da Janela, in Porto Moniz, has been revamped, and is ready to receive all visitors.
The viewpoint is one of the attractions of the parish, and has really breathtaking views.
This s site of great interest, as – according to various historians – this is where the temporary “factory” of the Azorean whaling company that first operated this industry in Madeira, and there are still a few signs of these activities.
The viewpoint had fallen into disrepair, and it was necessary to relay the paving, clean up the involving area and build railings.
From now on it is again possible to safely enjoy the magnificent views of this site.
