Rua do Sabão
This small street connects Rua dos Ferreiros with Rua da Praia, facing three parallel streets in its extension, Rua dos Murças, Rua da Sé and Travessa do Cabido, and following parallel to Rua do Esmeraldo, but with a slightly larger dimension.
Built-in the 15th century, it is one of the oldest streets of the Capital and its name is directly related to the fact that, formerly, there was “Saboarias” (soaps) in this area.
In Madeira, as in the rest of the country, the “Soap Contract” existed (a name given to the right acquired, for a certain period, to exclusive exploitation of this article in the Kingdom of Portugal), a monopoly that was extinguished in 1857.
This artery was also named “Rua 17 de June 1922” in honour of the explorers Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, aviators who made the aerial crossing of the South Atlantic. This toponym was in force between 1922 and 1931 when the presidency of the CMF decided to “restore” the old name of Rua do Sabão.
In the upper sector of the street, we can find some shops and the Sé Boutique Hotel, which has a terrace bar with a 360º view over the city and an art gallery on its ground floor.
A little below, facing the Praça Cristóvão Colombo, where its esplanade extends, is the friendly Casa do Chá, on the market since 2003 and offering a wide variety of teas and infusions, known for their quality and unique character.
In the southern part of this street, you can find inside an establishment, part of the old City Wall, a unique and preserved collection due to its historical importance, one of the rare sections of the old walls of military architecture of Funchal, which have since been demolished.
The Rua do Sabão is almost entirely off-limits to car traffic, only possible in its final length, which allows a quiet and safe pedestrian circulation and all its extension.