Curral das Freiras Attractions 
From Pico Serrado it is possible either to drive down on the modern road or to walk down the old bridle path, endlessly twisting and turning, into the Curral das Freiras (nuns' valley) or Gran Curral, the crater of an extinct volcano, enclosed within high rock walls.
Far below, above the rock strewn bed of the Ribeira dos Socorridos, can be seen the village of Curral das Freiras (690m/2,265ft), an oasis in a waste of stone. The village was founded in the middle of the 16th C. by nuns from the convent of Santa Clara in Funchal who sought safety from pirate raids in the seclusion of the mountains and in later centuries pastured their cattle here. From Curral das Freiras a very attractive footpath descends through the valley of the Ribeira dos Socorridos to the north coast of the island.
Far below, above the rock strewn bed of the Ribeira dos Socorridos, can be seen the village of Curral das Freiras (690m/2,265ft), an oasis in a waste of stone. The village was founded in the middle of the 16th C. by nuns from the convent of Santa Clara in Funchal who sought safety from pirate raids in the seclusion of the mountains and in later centuries pastured their cattle here. From Curral das Freiras a very attractive footpath descends through the valley of the Ribeira dos Socorridos to the north coast of the island.
