When the Portuguese initially resolved the island, it was split into two components. Funchal, the present hub of Madeira island, came to be the facility of the western part, and Machico the eastern side. Unlike Funchal, Machico developed slowly and silently right into a largely farming community. There's a beautiful 15th-century church, the Igreja Matriz, and likewise the charming Chapel of Wonders (Capela dos Milagros).

Read more in Tripatini contributor Kelly Wilson´s post The Lovely Town of Machico, on Portugal's Madeira Island.