Surprisingly Beautiful - Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is nicknamed the “Green Island.” There’s plenty of postcard scenery and monuments, old churches and 16th century fort and museum.
Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal Wednesday April 22, 2015
Ponta Delgada was our last port stop prior to crossing the Atlantic. Located in the southeast tip of the São Miguel island. The coast line is made of cliffs and rocky shoals, with some dark sand beaches. The county’s seat is in the town of Ponta Delgada, which comprises 4 parishes: Santa Clara, São José, São Sebastião and São Pedro.
Ponta Delgada is a charming town known for its century-old churches, quaint cobbled streets and squares, a long seaside promenade, and a delicious collection of local bars and restaurants.
Ponta Delgada began as a simple fishing village whose fishermen were once attracted by its safe coves, but soon began to play the role of main port of the São Miguel Island.
The city grew and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the convents, churches and manor houses flourished and still today they integrate the historic centre.
Today, Ponta Delgada is a cosmopolitan city, outward looking, with a lively economic and cultural life. The extensive coastline road, which borders the harbour and the sea outlining the city, is the expression of its dynamism, adapting to new times and also the access road to the city.
Ponta Delgada is a multifaceted city where tradition lives hand-in-hand with the present and cosmopolitanism with wholesome tranquility of the Azorean life.
When in Ponta Delgada be sure to visit the Igreja de São Sebastião, the Igreja de São Pedro and Igreja São José, the Convent and Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Esperança, the Tesouro do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, the Carlos Machado Museum, the City Gates and the Jose do Canto Garden.
There are also viewpoints, lighthouses and bacons apart from gardens and squares. Its natural and unique landscape, makes it a surprisingly beautiful port -stop!
