Christopher Columbus House Museum

The Christopher Columbus House Museum (Casa Museu Cristóvão Colombo), the most important cultural feature in Porto Santo, attests to the stay of the discoverer of America on the island. As far as possible, the museum recreates the original atmosphere of the house where the explorer lived.
Casa Museu Cristóvão Colombo consists of two buildings, the older of which dates back to the time when the mariner lived in Porto Santo.
In addition to portraits of Columbus dating from the 16^th to 20^th century, there are also maps of the different routes that he sailed.
The house is behind the Mother Church at number 12, Rua Cristóvão Colombo in Vila Baleira. It is open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 and from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Windmills

A typical sight in Porto Santo is the traditional windmills that we see dotted around the landscape.
The island’s relief is relatively low and it is highly exposed to the wind from all directions.
The windmills in Porto Santo were built to grind the grain to make bread.
The first windmill was erected in 1794 and was the most impressive structure built in Porto Santo in the 18^th century. For years now, Porto Santo’s countless wooden windmills have enhanced the picturesque scenery. Some of them still work today.

Casas de Salão

One of main examples of traditional local architecture in Porto Santo is the Casas de Salão and we can still find a few of these rare, age-old constructions there today.
They are simple-looking houses with roofs covered with salão, one of the available natural resources, which was particularly suited to the island’s climate.
Salão is a kind of sandy, highly adhesive clay that enables buildings to fit perfectly into Porto Santo’s rural landscape.
These houses are very cool in summer, because cracks appear in the salão when it is dry allowing the air to circulate. In winter, the clay absorbs the rain and becomes spongy and impermeable.

Lime mines

Ilhéu de Baixo is also known as Ilhéu da Cal, or Lime Islet, because there used to be rich limestone mines there. Its hillsides are riddled with caves that lead to the mines’ old galleries.
Although the mines are no longer in use, they are an important testimony to the island’s culture.
There will soon be cable cars between Ponta da Calheta and this ethnographic stronghold of great cultural interest.

More information:
Getting to know Porto Santo