Madeira – Hanging gardens
The generosity of nature formed a small paradise floating in the Atlantic. Then came Man who moulded it in his image and created a garden from the island. In the company of the artists Ana Pérez-Quiroga and Vasco Araújo we set off to discover Madeira, enjoying the pleasures of this life and not the other.
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The plane banks over the island, revealing abrupt cliffs, exotic trees hidden in the depths of the valleys, the city of Funchal descending down the hillside to the perfectly blue blue. White clouds lick the highest peaks and roll down the mountain like candy floss unravelling. On that sunny Friday morning, the island seems to be floating over the Atlantic, coming and going with the waves that break into foam on the rocks.
A traditional song says that Madeira is a garden, but seen like this from above, it seems more like a botanical compendium, result of its three microclimates set in the form of an amphitheatre; like the description in ancient books of the most mysterious of the seven wonders: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Legend has it that King Nabucodonosor ordered the construction of various terraces in the shape of an amphitheatre in far-flung Mesopotamia and had palm trees and tropical flowers planted on them to please Amitis, his favourite. Over two thousand years elapsed before the navigators Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira reclaimed it for the Portuguese crown when they discovered the Madeira archipelago (1418), but the combination of the lush near-tropical and Mediterranean vegetation, set on terraces, is perhaps the most realistic vision possible of the legendary gardens.
It is exactly these majestic scenarios of rare beauty that Ana Pérez-Quiroga and Vasco Araújo discuss over lunch, with their eyes fixed on the green cliff overhanging the sea that can be seen from the veranda of the Quinta do Furão restaurant, in the town of Santana. The tomato and grape gaspacho prepared by Chef Yves Gautier begins the gastronomic feast and prepares our palate for the pork fillet with yam and artichoke, accompanied by macaroni with chestnut sauce. The Italian macaroni might seem a little out of place here, but Maria José Sol, our guide, justifies the option with a joke: “Perhaps it’s because Madeira belongs to the Macaronesian islands”. Perhaps. Or it’s a tribute to Christopher Columbus who married and lived on the neighbouring island of Porto Santo.
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After lunch, the programme prepared by Madeira Tourism takes us to the Parque Temático, where the visit to a replica of the traditional houses of Santana and an interactive trip through the hills and valleys of Madeira leaves us almost breathless for the following adventure. Back in Funchal, the van is thankfully on hand to help us make the climb up to the cable car that links Monte to the old part of the city. It’s 550 metres in altitude, winding roads and bends, houses, various magnificent Funchal gardens and terrified tourists descending at break-neck speed in the traditional baskets, guided by two carreiros whose feet are both the motor and the brakes! Taking the cable-car is a much more tranquil affair, flying over the valleys until we land by the bay bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon.
Ana and Vasco insist on a trip to the Lavradores Market – “one of the most beautiful in the world with a bower in the middle” – flitting around, fascinated by the stalls with bananas, avocados, cherimoyas and passion fruit, boiled yam, corn cobs and sugar-cane, alongside the stalls selling pepper and herbs, wicker and other regional produce. There’s also the incredible colours camouflaging the florists with orchids, birds of paradise, flamingo lilies, magnolias, azaleas and proteas. While Ana buys flowers, savory and passion-fruit concentrate, Vasco is fascinated by the bizarre shapes of the English potatoes.
Earthly temptation
After we have marvelled at the picturesque market, it’s time to have a bite at Armazém do Sal, which is an old warehouse converted into a restaurant. The moray carpaccio, the sardines and the octopus are excellent, as are the stuffed scabbard fish and tuna, which are local specialities. After a brief stroll along the modern promenades by the sea, we follow the stars uphill to the Choupana Hills Resort & Spa, where we are staying. On our arrival, we are welcomed by bottles of the famous regional Madeira wine, sitting on the veranda of Ana Pérez’ bungalow, admiring the fantastic view of over the city, enjoying the wine and chatting away. Ana and Vasco were classmates on their sculpture course at Lisbon’s Faculdade de Belas Artes and, despite expressing themselves with a multitude of languages (which range from installations to photography, as well as video) and differentiated in terms of the visual arts, they communicate with each other like old friends, talking about the dog, the cat and their neighbours with the same ease as they swap ideas about a joint intervention for a play they are doing at Prague Theatre.
At 10 o’clock the following morning, we navigate Funchal bay aboard a replica of the Santa Maria nau, in which Columbus discovered America. If it weren’t for the dolphins, the main attraction on the boat would be the sailors dressed as pirates with parrots on their shoulders and Columbus himself, reincarnated as a dog with a Cristiano Ronaldo medal on his collar; or in front of the sea of the capital of the autonomous region, a rosary of history and stories. Here is the “the Quinta da Vigia house of pleasure”, explains Maria José Sol, “where ladies came to see the views and have tea”. Over there, Forte do Pico. Here opposite, Oscar Niemeyer’s Hotel Pestana Casino. Further that way, Reid Hotel’s Villa Cipriani, where the Empress Sissi stayed… The trip continues to the imposing Cape Girão; 580 metres of rock and the highest in Europe. On the return trip, the revelations continue, like the tower of the Jesuit College, which stands out from the watchtowers of the manor houses, where the merchants spied the boats arriving and with them, commerce.
With our stomachs rumbling, we make our way up to Quinta do Estreito, on the Câmara de Lobos Strait, from where you can see the outline of the laurissilva forest, which, according to UNESCO, belongs to humanity (it’s classified as world heritage). At the quinta’s restaurant, a traditional lunch of Madeira espetada (meat or fish roasted or grilled on a spit) awaits us, which inspires us to play around with the title of one of Ana Pérez’ installation: Odeio ser gorda. Come-me, por favor! (I hate being fat. Eat me, please)
Divine appeal
The afternoon continues with a cultural bent and a visit to the Casa das Mudas Arts Centre, in Calheta, which was designed by award-winning architect Paulo David, which afford us unexpected perspectives of both the sea and the surrounding slopes. Ana hadn’t been to Madeira for twenty years and never tires of using the adjective “marvellous”, as we discover new and old architecture.
Seen from the Choupana Hills, Funchal bay is an irresistible invitation to take a dip, which Ana and Vasco do in the hotel pool, after a relaxing session at the spa. With batteries recharged, it’s time to submit ourselves to the creations of Chef Momo Abbane, brilliant disciple of Pantagruel, at the Xôpana restaurant. “Sublime” becomes the adjective for the evening, after tasting the foie gras torchon with fig preserve, the scallop in court-bouillon and black truffle oil and the wrasse fillet, Spätzle with pesto, garlic foam and lemon ponzu sauce, among other delicious dishes, all accompanied by the piano and voice of Xôpana Jazz. Lulled by the divine flavours and sounds, as well as the intensity of a perfect day, we give ourselves up to the temptations of Morpheus and go off to the land of nod.
Another day: another trip. This time a short one and one takes us to the lovely old part of Funchal, where the morning echoes of the Sunday masses and the saffron coloured façades of the buildings are reminiscent of colonial times. After wandering round some of the gardens and visiting the cathedral, we take a load off in the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias café, where Vasco has a meeting with one of the mentors of the Porta 33 gallery. A month from now, the artist will return to the islands to film on the Ilhas Desertas (Deserted Islands), a project that he will exhibit at the gallery: “I like the scale of the islands”, he explains. On the gallery owner’s recommendation, the excursion continues onto Funchal Municipal Museum (natural history) where we study the collection of local fauna, birds, fish and other creatures exhibited in glass cases that look like they have be left untouched since the 1960s. “An old-style museum”, comments Ana, peering into the rooms of the Baroque urban palace.
Our trip moves on to Avenida do Mar and the Riso restaurant, where, apart from the tasty risottos, there’s also a prodigious view of the Atlantic that is bluer than ever. Just like the gardens during the weekend, it is time which is hanging suspended in our memories.
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by Patrícia Brito
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