Finally we’re off to see one of my bucket list! The traditional Madeiran A frame houses!! Known as palheiro these are highly distinctive, and incredibly cute!
Once far greater in number, the majority of these can now only be found in the village of Santana.
An A-frame house features steeply-angled sides that usually begin at or near the foundation line and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A.
An A-frame ceiling can be open to the top rafters and is often used for storage.
A-frame buildings are an ancient building form that can be found around the world including in Europe, China, and the South Pacific islands.
We also discovered some incredible ones in Shirakawa during our tour of Japan in 2016.
But back to the Disneyesque A frames of Santana! Set in colourful flower borders and now used as tourist shops selling local produce, these cuties are even better than I could ever have hoped!
While the majority of the houses are clustered together in the town centre, if you take a walk around the village you will find more examples – including ones that are actually still lived in.
