From Funchal a good road winds its way up between handsome villas and beautiful gardens to the little town of Monte (alt. 550m/1,804ft; pop. 8,000), 8km/5mi north. Set amid magnificent plane and oak forests, this was once a popular health resort.
On a spur of hill near the old cableway station is the pilgrimage church of Nossa Senhora do Monte (founded 1470, completely rebuilt in the 18th C.), with the tomb of Karl of Habsburg, the last Austrian Emperor, who died in the nearby Quinta do Monte in 1922. From the terrace in front of the church (68 steps) there is a superb view of Funchal and the sea, extending southwest as far as Cabo Girao.
From Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao it is possible either to return direct to Funchal perhaps in one of the local wickerwork toboggans or to walk down by a longer route on beautiful footpaths.
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