Friday, January 4, 2008

Santo Antonio - Sao Roque do Pico - Prainha do Norte - Pico Island - Azores

Santo António
Named after the great Portuguese-born saint, the parish includes the small villages of Santana and São Vicente, with their chapels.
Church of Santo António. Small place of worship, founded towards the end of the 17th century. Unlike most churches in Pico, it has only one tower.
The place called Furna, where arriving birds perch, displays a curious combination of volcanic forces and the fury of the ocean waves.

São Roque do Pico
Old town, with characteristic and interesting houses, Commercial port at Cais do Pico, connected with the whaling industry and the site of the only whaling factory in the archipelago.
Church of São Roque and Convent and Church of São Pedro de Alcantara are good places to visit.

A monument for the Azorean whalers in São Roque do Pico.

Prainha do Norte
The second settlement founded on the northern coast of the island.
Church of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda and Large edifice, with an interesting facade (18th c), are good places to visit.
Typical old wine cellars, connected with the centuries-old production of verdelho wine, mainly in the area of Canas bay. Close to a large mistério (mystery), a lava bed covered with trees, resulting from an eruption in 1572 and, in the woods overlooking it small but bucolic Lake Caiado.

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Açores - Azores - São Miguel - Furnas

Açores - Azores - São Miguel - Furnas , originally uploaded by Luis Miguens .