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ILHA DE SÃO MIGUEL - DESCRIPTION
This island is 65 Kms long and 16 wide and is the most highly populated
of all the islands with 126.000 inhabitants, acting as the
administrative capital. It has a busy port an international airport.
Besides its natural beauty (common to all the islands), its two main
tourist attractions is the famous Lagoa do Fogo and the Caldeiras das
Furnas. The island was originally two separate islands and in 1563 a
volcanic eruption joined them together and at the same time created an
inland lake lined with narrow sandy beaches. At the same time the the
Caldeiras das Furnas was also created and there are numerous hot
steaming geysers which gush up from below the earths crust. The
northern shores of this lake provide such hot steam that it is used to
make a traditional local meat stew.
In the 18th Century, the USA Ambassador to the Azores Islands planted
hundreds of trees and plants to create a 12 hectare garden which today
is a popular attraction. In the north-west side of the island there is
a volcanic creation with dramatic drops of up to 300 metres into a
crater with three lakes surrounded by fertile green vegetation.
In the main town Ponta Delgada the seafront is dominated by three 18th
Century arches which used to be the gates leading into the town. The
main church, Igreja de São Sebastião, dates from the 16th Century and
has some beautiful tiles and attractive 17th Century jacaranda furniture
together with its white limestone doorway. The 16th Century fortress of
São Bras has been mainly been restored in the late 19th Century. The
popular Festival de Santo Cristo dos Milagres takes place on the fifth
Sunday after Easter which centres on the nearby impressive Convento da
Esperança. The Convento de Santo André is the home of the Museu Carlos
Machado with its theme featuring the history of the local fishing and
farming industry.
In the later half of the 20th Century the island developed a large
export trade in pineapples. In specialized Tea Shops throughout the
world the famous "Perl" variety of tea can be found. It is
grown in the Ribeira Grande area and packaged for shipment in its small
factory.
Possibly the most well known dish in the Azores originates from this
island. Its name is Cozido das Furnas and is a rich stew based on meat.
The uniqueness of this dish is that it is placed below ground and
steamed for up to 6 hours in a volcanic surrounding.
Direct flights from Lisbon and North America with interconnecting
flights within the islands. There is a boat connection with the Ilha
de Santa Maria.
ILHA DE SÃO MIGUEL GOLF COURSES -
Batalha
: Furnas
ILHA DE SÃO MIGUEL - EVENTS
1st Sunday after Easter - Procissão de São. Miguel (Vila Franca)
April - Procissão de São. Miguel (Ribeira Grande)
5th Sunday after Easter - Festas do Senhor St. Cristo dos Milagres
29th June - Cavalhadas de São Pedro
15th August - Festa da Senhora da Assunção
GOLF ACCOMMODATION
- Where to stay
ILHA DE SÃO MIGUEL INFORMATION
ILHA DE SÃO MIGUEL - RESTAURANTS
COMPLETE LIST FOR AZORES AREA
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