Santana Traditional Houses: A Guide to Madeira's Heritage
The triangular thatched-roof houses of Santana (casas de colmo) are Madeira's most iconic traditional buildings. With their bright painted facades and steeply pitched roofs covered in wheat straw, they look like they belong in a fairy tale. Yet until a few decades ago, people actually lived in them.
The Architecture
These houses evolved to suit Madeira's mountainous terrain and wet northern climate:
The Steep Roof: The sharply angled A-frame design sheds rain quickly, preventing water from penetrating the thatch. In an area that receives over 3,000mm of annual rainfall, this matters.
Thatch Material: Traditional roofs use wheat straw (colmo), which provides excellent insulation against both rain and the cool mountain temperatures. The thatch needs replacing every 4-5 years.
Tiny Size: Most houses are small,just one or two rooms. The ground floor was for living; the attic (reached by a steep ladder) was for sleeping or storage.
Bright Colors: The painted wooden facades aren't just decorative. The paint protected the wood from the humid climate. Red, blue, and yellow were common because those pigments were available locally.
Where to See Them
Santana Village Center
The main collection is in the village of Santana itself, around the town hall and tourist office. Several restored houses are open to visitors (small fee), showing how families lived in these compact spaces. You'll see traditional furniture, kitchen equipment, and agricultural tools.
These are museum pieces now,the last families moved out in the 1970s or 1980s.
Parque Temático da Madeira
Just outside Santana, this theme park includes a recreated village with multiple traditional houses. It's more touristy than the village center, but gives a good sense of what a settlement looked like when these were the normal housing type.
Scattered Examples
Drive the roads around Santana and you'll spot restored houses in gardens and fields. Some are still maintained by families, even if no longer lived in. A few have been converted to storage or animal shelters.
Visiting Santana
Getting There
Santana is on Madeira's north coast, about 45 minutes from Funchal via the expressway and north coast road. The drive itself is scenic, passing through the UNESCO-recognized laurel forests.
What Else to See
Rocha do Navio: A dramatic coastal area accessible by cable car, descending 300 meters to a rocky shore with natural pools. The cable car alone is worth the trip.
Queimadas Forest Park: The starting point for the famous Levada do Caldeirão Verde walk. Even if you don't hike the levada, the park has restored forest-ranger stations and mature laurel forest.
Faial: A neighboring village with impressive views over the Penha de Águia rock formation, sometimes called the Eagle Rock.
The Cultural Context
These houses tell a story of rural Madeira that's largely gone. Until the 1970s, the north coast was isolated and poor. Roads were bad, electricity scarce, and agriculture was the main livelihood. Families kept cattle on the ground floor during winter (the body heat helped warm the house).
The construction of the expressway network and economic development ended this way of life. Today, Santana's young people live in modern houses with proper plumbing and heating. The traditional houses survive as heritage, maintained for tourists and local pride.
Our Webcam
Our Santana webcam shows the north coast weather conditions. This matters because the north coast is often cloudier and wetter than the south. Check the webcam before driving over,if it's misty and drizzly, the colorful houses lose some of their photogenic appeal. Wait for a clearer day.
The views from Santana across to the Penha de Águia rock are spectacular when conditions cooperate.