PORTO-SANTENSES VALUES - PORTO SANTO ISLAND ASPIRING THE UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Although small, the island of Porto Santo contains heritage values ​​of undoubted importance in the local, regional and international context.

We want to make you aware of the aspects of Porto Santo's identity that make the island of Porto Santo a very special territory and which support our candidacy for UNESCO's Biosphere Reserve.

Salão House

The Salão houses, houses made of stone typical of Porto-santense architecture, were thus designated for using the Salão on its roof. The people of Porto Santo found that this material, a kind of clay, gave the houses a cool environment in summer, by opening cracks resulting from drying and drying in winter, by absorbing water, protecting the houses from rain. The partitions of the houses were made with sugar cane and filled the spaces with straw, bean bag, wood waste or small stones, and then covered with lime and cement. With a dirt floor, the living room houses had a living room, the bedroom and the kitchen, with a stone oven and chimney, which was normally the entry point into the house. The haystacks, attached to the house, which housed animals and agricultural instruments, were also covered in a hall.

Porto Santo, like you there is no equal!

Application of the island of Porto Santo to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve