VISIT

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Admired in the work of writers who visited the island in the 19th century, painted in ink, oil and watercolurs by local artists, and photographed by all kinds of proffessional and amateurs photographers, the Avenida Maritima boasts the most impressive set of traditional wooden balconies on the Canary Islands. What makes this collection so unique is the variety of different types of wood used and the quantity and quality of the balcones dobles, built in the style of traditional portuguese adufas.

These balconies where in fact an ideal way of ventilating the multistorey houses on the main streets (O´Daly and Pérez de Brito) which, backing eastwards onto the marine, where kept cool by the fresh and humid trade winds from the north or north east. In the corners of many balconies there is a covered area that used to house a priny or toilet from which waste would flow directly down onto the street to washed down to the sea. In adition, these balconies were also used to tigthen control over shipping traffic from the Santa Cruz de La Palma port. Together with the rooftop terraces, their privileged position looking over the bay makes them ideal for watching the to and fro of ships and cargo and enjoying the natural beauty of the sea.