Culture of Sao Miguel Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

There are several quite old productions on the territory of Sao Miguel. For example, famous winery Quinta da Jardinette is located in Fenais da Luz. Here you can try several varieties of local wines, buy souvenirs, and join the excursion which will take about an hour. The manager will tell you a lot of interesting things about how wine-making appeared on the island, how it developed and what drinks are created here today. If you do not know Portuguese, then do not despair – excursions are conducted in English and German. After visiting the winery, you can buy your favourite wines at a local store at a fairly attractive price.

Be sure to walk along the streets of the small Ribeira Grande. Here you can see the central square, the town hall, the park and the beautiful arched bridge. Each of these objects is a real historical monument raised more than a century ago. It was the city centre that was the heart of the settlement for many years. Here you can plunge into the life of the islanders at the liquor production Mulher de Capote, where you can not only find out how liqueurs were made before but also to learn how workers and managers of the factory lived. You can get acquainted with the history of tea production at any of the two existing tea plantations, whose age exceeds two hundred years - Gorreana Tea Estate and Cha Porto Formoso, where you will be shown how tea grows, how it is processed, packaged and distributed to shops. Fabrica de Tabaco “Estrela” in Ponta Delgada, existing since 1892, will tell you the story of the tobacco production of Sao Miguel. It is worth coming here on Thursday at two o'clock in the afternoon when the company is open to tourists.

The exposition of the Tobacco Museum, located in a place called Maya, is also interesting. Here you can learn about the person who brought tobacco to Sao Miguel, how the locals began to cultivate this plant and what were the devices for smoking centuries ago. There is a rather interesting building of Melo Abreu brewery in the capital, which was built in 1893 and is still used for its intended purpose. There are periodically conducted excursions on the territory of the factory for everyone who wants to learn how brewing originated on the island and how to make a foamy drink now. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Most of the old buildings are located in the capital, Ponta Delgada. You can start exploring the city with the walk on the territory of the Fort of St. Brace. The fortification is well preserved, there are not only narrow streets and abandoned casemates beyond the perimeter of the massive walls, but also quite an interesting Military Museum. The fortress was built in the 15th century and has not been rebuilt since that time. Nucleo de Santa Bárbara do Museu Carlos Machado has quite an interesting collection. The museum is located in an ancient building of the monastery, whose age has exceeded three hundred years. There are all sorts of household items and weapons, coins and works of art of the islanders in the Museum's collection. The oldest items in the collection are more than five hundred years old.

You should definitely see the old city gate on Portas da Cidade square. This is quite a beautiful building, which has become a real symbol of the city. There is a small church of the 16th century with a clock. The Palace of Santa Catarina Manor is a typical island-building of the 16th century, made in a minimalist style. Be sure to visit the island's oldest Church, Igreja de São Pedro, built in the 15th century. The building is not remarkable at all, but the interior will amaze all of the tourists and even those who are not interested in art. If you wish, you can take a walk in the park of the presidential Palace Palacios da Presidencia. Alas, tourists and locals can’t enter the building.

Anyone can learn the secrets of the local potters by visiting the pottery factory in Lagoa. Be sure to visit the island's first capital, Vila Franco de Capo. This settlement was built in the 15th century, but as a result of a powerful earthquake in 1522, almost all the buildings were underground, and the residents refused to restore the city, just moving the capital to Ponta Delgada. Today, after the restoration work, you can see the five-hundred-year-old churches, the town hall and the Central square here. There is also a statue of Magellan near the seashore.