Route 1 – Nova Sintra/Stª Barbara/Vinagre

P1 – Nova Sintra/Stª Barbara/Vinagre

Start of the route: Nova Sintra

End of the route: Vinagre
Path Conservation Status: Fair
Length: 1 km

Duration: 50 minutes

Difficulty level: I

Mobile network coverage: Poor
Mode: Hike

The route starts in Nova Sintra and continues through the town of Santa Barbara on a paved road, then turn right towards Vinagre on a path with some cobblestones. On this route, the paths have good visibility, sometimes with a narrow and deep passage between mountains. When descending from Nova Sintra towards Stª Barbara, the path has a sharp slope. Arriving in Stª Barbara, a town with a great weight in the history of the settlement of the island Brava, one finds the scene of some rehabilitated houses and two-story houses in a state of degradation, this is largely due to the longevity of their constructions. Currently, there is a small resident population that lives mainly from livestock.

Crossing towards Vinagre, the scenery becomes a calm song of birds and a dense vegetation composed of bushes with robust aspects until you enter. There in Vinagre, in the center of some degraded and uninhabited houses, once with a lot of water, there is a fountain, tanks, a water fort and an underground tunnel.

Reference point:

On Stª Barbara:
streets and townhouses with colonial-style architectural features;
colonial style church.
On Vinagre:
Drinking water source with medicinal mineral characteristics;
Underground Tunnel.

Points of interest

natural value

In Santa Barbara, the particular panorama of natural vegetation divided with an infinite view of the blue sea in front of you is in itself one of the symbolic places of Brava Island, being able to appreciate from its tip, if the day is good visibility, much of the northeast. of the island, where Porto and the Bay of Furna, the Bay of Pesqueiro, Ribeira de Vinagre and the Rombo or Seco islets stand out. From Vinagre you can appreciate its natural water that springs from the source and its rustic landscape.

Cultural Values

Santa Barbara was indicted as being the first urban center to be inhabited on the island and, above all, it is valued for the architectural configuration of its buildings in colonial style, roof in the form of four waters and tile, distributed in a way to form a style of dispersed population. That’s why some of the imposing townhouses built at the time still prevail to this day. It was in this locality that the current President of the Republic of Cape Verde grew up and lived.

In the town of Vinagre, due to the abundant water, there was a culture of people going to get this precious liquid to be sold in different parts of the island. Legend has it that there lived a gentleman called “Nho Fontona” (picture in the photos). His mother, sisters and other women in his life always made sure he didn’t run out of water in the pot at an arm’s length. The years went by until old age hit him. In the absence of improvements, he ended up approaching the source, but laziness was stronger than thirst and he ended up succumbing a few meters from the precious liquid. The legend of “Nho Fontona” served as an example to instill in young people the culture of work and demand and not to settle for waiting for the protection and service of others. (unknown author).