The ancient and the new

This recording was captured in Fanal, a vast forested area with an enchanting atmosphere and ancient-looking trees that are part of the indigenous Laurisilva forest. In the recording, you can hear me walking, sounds of people talking, taking photos and wandering through the mist. Between some powerful winds, theres some calmer moments where you can hear the soft patter of raindrops falling from the trees.

Given the strong winds and my limited equipment—a small RøDE VideoMic Me-L for iPhone with a basic windscreen—it was challenging to avoid wind noise entirely. To present the best audio experience, I carefully edited and compiled the highest-quality segments in chronological order.

Recently, Madeira has been experiencing new influx of tourism, both in type and quantity, and Fanal has caught the attention of many YouTubers and photographers. Having not visited Fanal in several years, I was curious to see how this newfound popularity is shaping the experience and hoped to capture the atmosphere of this phenomenon during my visit.

UNESCO listing: Laurisilva of Madeira

Recorded by Tiago Tobias.

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This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.

Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage