Green island with blackened edges and gray finish. Island that embodies in itself the ideal of beauty, sometimes soft, sometimes wild. An island that unfolds in changing landscapes, the most captivating, the most harmonious, the most sublime.
Island of «mysteries», with sharply indented coasts, opening onto the sea in arches, in caves, in points, in islets. "Mysteries" of lava that, oozing, transformed the terrible into a sublime caprice.
Island that we feel with the depth of the warmest feeling, with an eagerness lost between tenderness and passion. Loving her, we are paying tribute to the Creator for having offered humanity such a prodigious boon.
An island of blatant sweetness that, here and there, everywhere, is evident. And from the seductive fascination that springs from her wavy body.
The laugh of Calheta de Nesquim, the grace of Santa Cruz das Ribeiras, the ecstasy of Arcos do Cachorro, the slenderness of Prainha do Norte, the neatness of Piedade, especially in Manhenha, the splendor of Lajes, the sweetness of S. John. Island that is perfectly aligned, green clothes edged in black, in a more incisive way, between S. Mateus and Madalena. Island that offers the dazzle of S. Roque, seen from above, from S. Miguel Arcanjo. Island that shows the breathtaking phantasmagoria of Terra Alta. Island that makes us tremble with shudder, that shakes us with joy, that stirs us with emotion.
Unique island, either for its characteristic appearance or for its grandeur, where there is no arrogance, but humility and selflessness.
Island where houses proliferate in piles, leaning against the seafront. And coves and boats and fishermen…
From the road back to the island, the edges are covered with flowers, the landscape spreads upwards and downwards. Upwards, the verdure of the pastures, which end in gentle undulations or at the foot of hills covered with vegetation as lush as it is primitive. Downstairs, the clarity of the sea and the contrast of the houses, now white, now dark, uniting, however, in the same sense of perpetuity of ancestral uses.
The spell of the island takes hold, with greater acuteness, when leaving the main road, varying by the branches that descend, gently, until close to the seaside.
Pico, all of it, is a grandiose garden filled with flowerbeds. Some with flowers. Others with vines, with vegetables, with fruit trees.
From this immense garden, in an airy mixture of greens and greys, a hymn of flaming joy springs up that screams, that enthuses, that excites, that excites, that prays!
Nine islands and numerous islets1 form the Azores archipelago, which is naturally subdivided into three groups:
Eastern Group: Santa Maria (97 km2 of surface), São Miguel (747 km2) and Formigas2.
Central Group: Terceira (397 km2), Graciosa (61 km2), São Jorge (238 km2), Pico (444 km2) and Faial (172 km2).
Western Group: Corvo (17 km2) and Flores (143 km2).
1 Around all the islands, islets were formed, with special emphasis on: Vila Franca (S. Miguel), Caloura (S. Miguel), Mosteiros (S. Miguel), Cabras (Terceira), Madalena (Pico ), Topo (S.Jorge), Rosto do Cão (S.Miguel), Romeiro (Santa Maria), etc.
2 The eight islets of Formigas, located north of Santa Maria, are nothing more than boulders almost low to the sea and, therefore, dangerous for navigation since they are a unique fishing centre.
The archipelago received the name «Azores» due to the large number of birds of prey (hawk kites) that the sailors, sent to meet the islands, by order of Infante D. Henrique, found there, believing that they were in front of the authentic goshawk.
At the time of their reunion, the islands were virgin, that is, without the slightest trace of human presence and devoid of animals, except for birds of various species. Instead, the vegetation was leafy, with mostly dense forest areas.
All the islands of the archipelago are of volcanic origin, an origin that is very clear and that relegates the legendary Atlantis to the realm of fantasy. The oldest and therefore most consolidated islands are the islands of Flores, Corvo and Santa Maria.
The archipelago is accredited by the exuberance of each of its islands, so different from each other, although with multiple points of contact and affinities.
It enjoys a temperate, but humid climate, due to the influence exerted by the warm current of the Gulf of Mexico. The temperature range varies between 14º and 22º, only sporadically exceeding these values.
It also has the particularity of enjoying a certain inconstancy in time, even making, during the same day, the four seasons of the year, an expression that is very much in vogue among its inhabitants.
Instability is one of the most salient characteristics of the Azorean climate, causing different weather conditions to happen in short periods. (Caetano Valadão Serpa, in «A Gente dos Açores»).
Remarkable is the speed with a stormy weather, in a few hours, it changes to a period of clear and smooth sky; remarkable is the ease with which a shower crashes and then returns to the radiant sun; remarkable is the way the fog thickens, in a few minutes, in certain places, hiding it completely.
The Azores owe most of its wealth to this climatic instability, where the pastures are always green and cattle raising (with the industries derived from it) is the primary source of income."
Author - Guido de Monterey
