Cape Verde - Nova Sintra Historic Center

The town of Nova Sintra, on the small island of Brava, 64km2, remains alive in time as a remnant of a traditional semi-rural lifestyle, characterized by 19th century houses steeped in cultivated gardens with the aim of livelihood and an urban layout acclimated to the gardens and landscaped with trees. The discovery of the island took place in 1462 by the squire Diego Afonso who was at the service of the Portuguese Crown and remained uninhabited for a long time. The settlement of the island began to flourish in 1620 by settlers from Madeira and the Azores. During an earthquake followed by a volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Fogo in 1680, many landowners and a few free black couples found refuge on the island of Brava where they settled. It is assumed that the locality of Furna, the area closest to the island of Fogo, is the place where the occupation began to sprout. However, when pirate incursions begin to become more frequent (XVII-XVIII centuries), fortified towers on the extreme bay are built and more protected and elevated places inside the island to protect themselves from looters are wanted. These desirable places, both flat and inland, had greater water availability and a more favorable climate for small-scale survival and survival agriculture. It is at this moment that the main population center Vila Nova Sintra appears.