The village of Seixal

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Presentation

General information

Very close to Oporto Moniz, the small village of Seixal is known for its vines with the tasty grapes. One finds there also a set of swimming pools of sea water, a quay and a pretty sand beach black.

The houses of Seixal, disseminated on a punctuated headland of lava of shelves, surrounded by cultures and vineyards exposed well to the sun, constitute one of the most beautiful postcards of Madeira.

Beyond Seixal, the roadway, always wet of the streaming of water, climbs until more than 800 m in overhang of the ocean. Approximately the 500 m long tunnel was open in 1954. All this portion of road is rather recent; it was called “road of Gold” (estrada do Oro), because it was more expensive than no other Portuguese road. Previously, one did not reach Oporto Moniz solely by the south

The waterfalls which base on the mountain come from the torrents and of the lakes of Paúl da Serra, whose plate stops in extreme cases even cliffs, to more than 1,000 m of altitude. You thus do not astonish that the road is flooded and often battered…

Etymology
Seixal (pronounce “sé-chal”) gave its name to the grape of Sercial (producing the driest Madeira wine).

Situation

Seixal is established on a prolonged headland of shelves, among the vineyards.

Visits

View-point of the “Véu da Noiva”
Three kilometers before the village of Seixal, the road crosses a long tunnel above which fall an abundant cascade. At the exit, a view-point offers a beautiful point of view on the village of Seixal. One gave this name of “wedding veil” to this view-point because of the proximity of an impressive cascade whose water falling from very high forms a veil on the slope of the mountain, making think of the ornament of a bride. One can admire best this splendid manifestation of nature starting from the old road of São Vicente in Seixal.
Chão da Ribeira
To the exit of Seixal, a small road leads towards the south to the valley of Chão da Ribeira, located within a large valley dominating the parish of Seixal; the valley is surrounded by very rich varieties of plants and shrubs belonging to the forest of laurisylve. The bed of the river, occupied by agricultural land and toolsheds, presents a typically rural decoration; it is “Switzerland of Madeira” where the inhabitants of the island like to go in family the weekend.
Ribeira da Janela
With the mouth of da Janela will ribeira, draw up three small islands. Largest is bored of a kind of window (janela), from where the name of the river. While moving away from the bridge, one distinguishes the strange configuration from this rock.

Practical informations

Restaurants
Put of Pasto Justiniano
In Chão da Riheira: trouts and skewers on embers.