30 Jul Azores: the Volcanic Magic of Pico Island!
Pico Island was a must see on our list because of its unique landscape: Mount Pico juts out of the center of the island and basalt rock can be seen checkering the vineyards and along the coast.
While visiting Faial, we took the ferry from Horta, Faial to Madalena, Pico for a day trip. On arrival, we picked up our car rental and took off to explore the western half of Pico Island.
We had no set plans, just a map, the Azores app and some recommendations from the tourism information center. There are certain activities on the island that you will need an advance reservation for, such as wine education and tastings at the Cooperativa Vitivinícola da Ilha do Pico and visiting Gruta das Torres.
Pico Island Photo Essay
We put together a photo essay to express the uniqueness of Pico Island. We really loved our time on the island and hope you’ll feel some of the magic we felt, expressed through these visuals.
From Madalena, we started on Avenida Machado Serpa along the coast towards Lajido. Very quickly we came upon The Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyards UNESCO World Heritage site. Here and in a few other areas of the island, you’ll see the land divided up into small rectangular plots by piles of black basalt (lava stones), a centuries-old practice. These walls protect the vines from the strong ocean winds and salt water spray as well as warm the grapes.
After pulling over to the side of the road a few times to admire the vineyards we stopped at Cachorro, a small port area surrounded by basalt buildings where they make and store wine. There are ramps that lead down to the water where they can transport the barrels to boats.
We were quite hungry, so we stopped at a small cafe in Lajido for lunch. Across from it was a wine interpretation center, a museum for Azorean wine culture. It’s inside a renovated distillery and even displays some of the old equipment. We perused the descriptions and photos and had a tasting of a reserve wine from this town.
Further down the road, in San António is Adega “A Buraca,” a store/museum/distillery/tasting room. After purchasing a volcanic stone necklace (I love collecting interesting handmade jewelry), we joined another couple for a tour of the small museum. The family that runs this Adega has collected historical items from inhabitants of the island and displays them in several rooms. We saw a curation of tools used for making wine barrels over the centuries as well as what a typical bedroom looked like in the 1900s. Then we moved to the tasting room where we tried a few fruit liquors. We were enamored with the furniture made of various sized wine barrels.
Next, we continued on our route heading towards São Roque do Pico in order to jump on Route 2-2 (EN2) to cut across the island. We learned of a new restaurant, Casa Âncora in this town, that opened shortly after our trip. It looks amazing, so if you’re planning to be in this area, you may want to check it out.
The landscape quickly changed as we drove on Route 2-2 (EN2). It felt like we were back on São Miguel as we climbed in elevation, encountering lush green pastures, hydrangea-lined roadway and fog. And bless the Portuguese for their miradouros! We pulled over at one of the lookout spots, according to our map, it seems to be called Miradouro ‘Corre Água’ and encountered some interesting sculptures and more happy cows.
We reached the coast and began heading west, in search of a cheese factory. Here we met a very friendly local who informed us it was already closed for the day but offered to call the owner for us. Knowing we’d have the opportunity to sample some fresh Pico cheese at dinner, we politely declined. The whole encounter put a big smile on our face at the warmth and hospitality of the locals.
With a few more stops to make, we felt we needed to pick up the pace, skipping a roadside park and nearby Mistérios de São João and as well as some of the artisan shops in the area that sell embroidered lace. If you have more time on the island, these may be points of interest you want to explore.
As we approached the Criação Velha wine region, near Madalena we made a left and drove through a narrow road guarded on each side by dry basalt stone walls. It led out to the coast where old lava patches met the ocean.
One last stop before we depart. Dinner!
The cherry on top, the sunset lighting up Pico Mountain as we pulled away from the ferry terminal.
In summary
Again, we only saw the western half of the island and even still, didn’t have the time to fully explore it. That said, the little bit we saw was such a lovely taste, that we will forever remember. And we have vowed to visit again for more time.
If you are visiting the Azores islands, we would absolutely recommend a stop on Pico. In fact, we would encourage you to stay overnight on the island and rent a car to explore more of it than we were able to on our day trip.
Okay, 2 More Pictures
On our return flight from Faial to São Miguel, we flew over Pico Island. The weather was fairly clear and we had this spectacular view from the left side of the plane…
Interested in more? Read our Azores Island Hopping post or click on the text next to the images below for a more in-depth look at two additional Azores islands:
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Have you been to Pico Island? If so, what was your favorite part of your visit?
Leave a comment!
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*This post includes a few resource links for which we have NO affiliation.
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