Curral das Freiras
Mountain village in a deep volcanic hollow ringed by peaks, where convent nuns once hid from corsairs.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Curral das Freiras, the Nuns' Valley in Madeira's mountain heart, starts with a sum that won't balance: a village named for sisters who stayed only a fortnight. It follows the nuns of Funchal's Santa Clara convent in October 1566, as French corsairs under Bertrand de Montluc took the coast, and reaches back to a captain's purchase in 1480. Best heard at a spot where you can turn and see the peaks on every side.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Convent of Santa Clara
Late-medieval convent of Poor Clare nuns with a tiled nave and a Gothic tomb at its entrance.
Miradouro da Eira do Serrado
Mountain viewpoint over a sheer, crater-like valley with a village cupped far below.
Forte de São Tiago
Yellow seventeenth-century seafront fortress with bastions, ramparts and wide Atlantic views.
Palácio de São Lourenço
Sixteenth-century seafront fortress turned governor's palace, with a Manueline tower and military museum.
Praia Formosa
Long public beach of black sand and rounded pebbles, with a seafront promenade and cliff views.
Fajã dos Padres
Cliff-foot seaside estate reached by cable car, with historic Malmsey vines and tropical orchards.