EMADEIRA_82.qxp_Layout 1 03/02/21 00:09 Página 39
Essential Destination
panels tell the story of Portugal, from the conquest of Lisbon by D. Afonso Henriques through the definitive settlement of the Algarve in the era of Afonso III and the reformations led by D. José I right down to the founding of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. Two permanent exhibitions tell us other stories. One from Zimbabwe depicts the evolution of the first artistic generation from the Tengenenge region. Sculptures made from serpentinite recreate faces, animals and abstract shapes. The 'Mother Nature's Secrets' exhibition showcases 1,000 mineral samples from places as widespread as Brazil, Zambia or North America. The samples are in display in cavities attempting to simulate the environment where minerals are formed in. Thankfully for the more romantics, not all of the Monte Palace Madeira's secrets are well kept. The Romeo and Juliet balcony is a mandatory stop for couples. Before the lens of the camera, lovers have fun imitating the poses of our culture's most famous romantic characters. But the garden is not the property of just the romantics; it also caters to the superstitious. Throughout the course, Lina Macedo, one of the guides, explains that touching one of the buddhas by the entrance to the oriental garden brings luck. There is also the fertility dragon, the wishing well and a dragon with a sphere in its mouth in the southern oriental garden. Those who spin the sphere can also expect good luck. Because it is better to be safe than sorry, one can always touch just one of these charms to be on the safe side. If lady luck sides with the reader, you will make your way to the central lake and palace zone with good weather (and in Madeira, good weather is not hard to come by). If you still use role cameras, this is the place to spend them. The lake, with its enticing waterfall, and the view of the palace's façade belong in a fairytale. Walking to the rhythm of the swaying tree branches, it is easy to leave the island and then return. In fact, that was the goal of the garden. One of the ideas of José Berardo, who promoted the space, was to give those who have never left the island the opportunity to become acquainted with other parts of the world. The estate actually takes its inspiration from the Madeiran businessman's travels. One said travel, to the Asian continent, is easily discernible throughout the path. The two oriental gardens transport visitors to a faraway location, between the famous terracotta army, the restless koi fish, the vivid red bridges and the imperial symbols.
Se a sorte estiver do lado leitor, irá chegar à zona do lago central e do palácio com bom tempo (e na Madeira isso é fácil de acontecer). Se ainda utiliza máquinas de rolo, é aqui que o tem de gastar. O lago, com a sua apaixonante cascata, e a vista da parte frontal do palácio são tirados de um livro de fantasia. Ao caminhar ao ritmo do balançar dos ramos das árvores, é fácil sair da ilha e voltar. Aliás, é esse o objetivo do jardim. Uma das ideias de José Berardo, o impulsionador do espaço, era dar a oportunidade a quem nunca saiu da
ilha de poder conhecer outras partes do mundo. O sítio é mesmo inspirado nas viagens do empresário madeirense. Uma dessas viagens, ao continente asiático, é bem visível ao longo do percurso. Os dois jardins orientais transportam os visitantes para um local longínquo, entre o conhecido exército de terracota, os irrequietos peixes Koi, as vívidas pontes vermelhas e os símbolos imperais. Depois de uma autêntica volta ao mundo, a viagem ao jardim tropical termina com uma degustação de vinho Madeira na esplanada
PHOTO: BERARDO COLLECTION ASSOCIAÇÃO DE COLEÇÕES
www.essential-madeira.com 39
