Roça Sundy

Roça Sundy is the oldest and largest of Príncipe's cocoa plantations, founded in 1822 and once covering over 1,600 hectares. The estate produced both cocoa and coffee at its peak, and the plantation compound — a cluster of colonial-era buildings set around a central yard — survives in a state of atmospheric half-ruin. The main house has been restored as a boutique hotel, which makes it an excellent base for exploring the island's north.

The estate is 5 km northwest of Santo António, easily reached by hired vehicle. Even if you are not staying here, the grounds are worth visiting for their history. A small commemorative plaque marks the spot where Eddington's eclipse observations were made. Birdwatching in the surrounding forest and cocoa groves can be good, with Príncipe sunbirds and grey parrots often visible from the lawns.

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A story
On 29 May 1919, the British astronomer Arthur Eddington set up his telescopes in the grounds of Roça Sundy to photograph a total solar eclipse. His measurements of starlight bent by the Sun's gravity provided the first experimental confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity — turning an obscure German physicist into the most famous scientist in the world, from a cocoa plantation on a tiny equatorial island.

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