Castelo (Pico do)

It is the best-known elevation of the Island of Porto Santo, not far from the town, and on whose crest are the ruins of an ancient fort, which gave the peak its name. Its highest point is 440 meters above sea level, and its slopes are very steep, thus providing a safe refuge for the island's inhabitants when it was frequently raided by French and Moroccan corsairs. Before the construction of the fort, defense was carried out by rolling boulders down the slopes of the peak, making its summit almost inaccessible. It has been approximately 30 years since the General Assembly of the district attempted to reforest the slopes of this peak, with the forestry superintendent Antonio Schiappa de Azevedo overseeing the respective work. There is currently a rich vegetation of tree species there, which, even from the sea and at a great distance, causes admiration in stark contrast to the aridity of the other mountains.