The town of Ponta do Sol

Presentation

General information
The city of Bridged do Ground is staged in amphitheater above the strike, at the bottom of a valley on the slopes of which one clearly cultivates flowers in immense greenhouses of yellow color. A compact line of houses - restored from now on and transformed into hotel of standing - hems the walk of the seaside and the pebble beach above rises the bell-tower with which the arrow is covered with azulejos and beyond, houses and banana plantations spring with the attack of the slopes.


After the flood of February 21st, 2010

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz
The parish church Nossa Senhora da Luz (16th century), open on a terrace to mid--slope, has a Gothic severity, somewhat softened by the interior baroque. Blue, yellow and white azulejos brighten the walls, and, as in Calheta and Funchal, a marvellous ceiling mudéjar out of wood of worked painted cedar covers the nave. The church has a triptych of the Flemish school and various objects silver of 17th and 18th century (of which a lamp of furnace bridge and a silver statue representing Our Lady). King Manuel 1st gratifia also this church of a baptistry. The bell-tower is covered with azulejos.
Lombo da Ponta do Ground
Small town living of its banana plantations; it has a pretty vault related to the memory of Christophe Colomb. At the top of a hill, well in sight, draw up the buildings of the field built by João Esmeraldo with which Christophe Colomb bound friendship. This grower made fortune at low prices by buying the black slaves whom it then made work in his plantations of cane. At the beginning of the 16th century, it made raise, beside its scutellate residence (today in ruin), the capela do Espirito Santo (vault of the Holy Spirit). Rebuilt in 1720, it presents a Renaissance frontage and baroque to the trefoil gate. The interior is decorated glowing furnace bridges baroques and of panels of azulejos representing the virtues.

Characters
C Ground bridged is made proud of a celebrity in the person of the grandfather of the American writer John Dos Passos (Manhattan Transfer, 1896-1970) who emigrated, disappointed by Ponta do Ground, to try its chance like such an amount of other Madériens in the United States.
Christophe Colomb would have spent a few days to Solar back Esmeraldos in the district of Lombada, located even higher on the mountainside.