The coastal settlement of Barca is located on the coast of Madalena, in the municipality of Madalena. It is part of the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. This nucleus had access from the Caminho do Poço and Canada do Serralheiro, and is connected through the Estrada da Costa to the settlements of Formosinha and Madalena. Its original organization was dominated by a convent house and its production complexes, consisting of cellars and warehouses near a harbour with a rola-pipas, surrounded by vast vineyard properties owned by Franciscan and Carmelite friars. In this nucleus, there are tide wells that ensured the water supply, primarily for the population of Madalena. Its chapel (20th century) – consecrated to São João Francisco Regis – is located at the centre of the settlement. Starting from the late 20th century, several one or two-story holiday homes proliferated along Estrada da Costa, gradually transforming into a residential area.
