In Madeira and at the resemblance of what was also done in other Mediterranean regions, the settlers felt the need to create wells in order to store snow and haze

These reservoirs were built with basaltic stones, one on top of the other, and dig into the soil with amazing hemispheric covers. In spite of its dark color, the shape reminds us of the igloos built by the Eskimos

In the old days, apart from being a way to store fresh water, theses wells were also gold for ice creams makers, hotels and the hospital, once ice back then was a rare and precious thing. Closed in leather bags, the ice was transported by hand by men who quickly came down to Funchal

Amazing as it may seems this same footpath still exits nowadays and it is well preserve and through it, it is still possible to get to Lombo dos Aguiares, Laranjal and Barreira, in Santo Antonio