The Notable Painted Doors – Where Art meets History

The story behind Rua de Santa Maria

At the Old Town (Zona Velha), you will find Rua de Santa Maria, which is one of the oldest streets of Funchal’s city on Madeira island, and also houses the famous Painted Doors Project.

The street of Santa Maria dates back to the 15th century and was founded by João Gonçalves Zarco.

Nowadays, it is commonly known by everyone as the Old Town of Funchal. A set of several cosy alleys, filled with restaurants, bars, and a few local shops.

A beautiful, historical, and fun atmosphere is what you might expect when venturing through these streets, and you can do so with us at Tukway.

500-year-old Buildings

Given the fact that the Old Town dates back to the 15th century, means, that when you go visit the Rua de Santa Maria you will be able to experience, and see buildings with more than 500 hundred years old.

Today the Rua the Santa Maria is one of the most visited places in the entire city of Funchal by foreigners, and also locals.

With time, a lot of effort has been made to restore, and not let modernization take over every little space of history through these downtown streets.

On the journey of trying to give more life back to Rua de Santa Maria, a project called “Projecto Arte Portas Abertas” – the Painted Doors Project was born.

Did someone say “Painted Doors”?

In an attempt to bring life to some long-forgotten streets and historical buildings, the photographer José Maria Zyberchem initiated a project called “The Art of Open Doors”.

“The Art of Open Doors” is often called the “Painted Doors Project” and is an art project in which several different artists turned old doors into unique works of art.

The first door was painted back in 2011 by Mark Milewski, and one turned into many many others.

Artists started to pile up and become more interested in participating in this amazing project, which made Rua de Santa Maria the attraction that it is today.

You can see more about this project, each door individually, and even read about each artist on arteportasabertas.com.

This project was without any doubt one of the best choices that the city council has made on the part of the city.

Not only it gave another life to doors that were long forgotten, but also marked these streets as one of the best places to visit on the entire island.

Strolling through the streets with Tukway

The Old town is filled with cobblestones floors, antique buildings, artsy doors, and many places to simply relax and have an excellent “Poncha”.

Tukway presents many different tours in which you will be able to visit these memorable streets and many other marks.

Some of the trips you can join are, Funchal Old Town & Palheiro Gardens, Funchal Old Town & Botanical Garden, Funchal Old Town & Toboggans, Funchal Express, and Funchal Epic.

Also if you are feeling a little adventurous, why not design your own Tukway trip? Head to tukway.com/myway/ and choose how many hours your experience will be and where you’ll go.

Forgotten streets turned to gold

Who knew that these streets would have such an amazing comeback, turning into such a landmark?

A few years ago, some streets in the Old town were even avoided by tourists, today they are simply mandatory to visit for anyone who comes to visit Madeira, and also very safe to do so.

Hopefully, this article has inspired you not only for you to book any of our tours available, but also to come and experience the old town of Funchal with a different and new perspective.