The traditional houses of Santana are small, triangular wooden buildings with steep thatched roofs, found in the municipality of Santana on Madeira's north coast. Visit Madeira calls them one of the archipelago's most recognisable symbols. The easiest place to see them is the Núcleo de Casas Típicas, a preserved group next to Santana's town hall, where some houses now sell local products.
How were the Santana houses built?
According to Visit Madeira, the houses were built of wood — cheap and plentiful locally — which helped keep the interior temperature stable. The roofs were thatched with cereal straw, specifically wheat and rye, and pitched steeply so rain runs off quickly and the house stays dry. The outside is painted in bright colours; Wikipedia describes the typical scheme as white walls, red doors and windows trimmed in blue.
How were they used?
These were rural homes, mainly lived in by farmers during the settlement of the island. Visit Madeira describes a simple layout:
- Ground floor: the living space, divided into a kitchen and a bedroom.
- Attic: storage for agricultural produce.
In other words, they were working farmhouses rather than decorative cottages. Wikipedia notes that most of the examples that survive today are tourist attractions, and that their straw roofs are replaced every four to five years.
Where can you see them?
The Núcleo de Casas Típicas de Santana is beside the Câmara Municipal (town hall) in the centre of Santana. Visit Madeira describes it as a space created to preserve this heritage, surrounded by a colourful garden, with some houses adapted for present-day use where you can buy local, traditional and handcrafted products. Next to it is a viewpoint over the green fields of Santana, dotted with houses, which shows the agricultural landscape the houses belonged to. Map coordinates from Visit Madeira: 32.8054, −16.8826.
Visit Madeira does not publish opening hours or admission charges for the Núcleo; the houses can be seen from outside at any time, but shop hours vary.
Santana at a glance
| Municipality | Santana, north coast |
| Area | 95.56 km² |
| Population | 6,558 (2021 census figure given by Wikipedia) |
| Parishes | Six, mostly in river valleys |
Tips for visiting
- The preserved houses are small and popular; arrive early or late in the day for photos without tour groups.
- The north coast is wetter and cooler than Funchal; carry a light waterproof.
- Respect private property: some traditional houses elsewhere in the municipality are still private homes or outbuildings.
What to combine it with
Santana is a base for some of Madeira's best-known walks. Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR 9) starts from the Queimadas Forest Park, which sits at 860 m in the municipality. The summit route Vereda do Pico Ruivo (PR 1.2) and the high viewpoint at Pico do Arieiro are reached from the mountains above. For a whole day on this coast, see the north coast region guide.
